The Subspace Runner
by ALittleBirdSaid
Summary: When Mario wakes up surrounded by teenagers called Smashers, he remembers nothing. He only knows his name. All are trapped in a glade called the Sanctuary, surrounded by a maze, Subspace, where monsters lurk. When a girl with an ominous message joins the Smashers, triggering Subspace to soon turn on the teens, Mario must fight with the Smashers for their freedom - and lives. (DONE)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey, ALittleBirdSaid here! So... this is a story I'm basically making for enjoyment, but I'm certainly not going to lag on my Zelda fanfic (Shattered Times, hint hint) and plan to balance both out. If the title wasn't pretty obvious, it's basically the SSBB (SSBM?) universe in The Maze Runner plot (you don't have to know the book to read this, actually). The books were really good, and I plan to basically put the whole general plot - in a video game style. Hope you enjoy it; rate and review. Also, let me know about any weird mistakes I may have missed :) So, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any video games (Super Smash Bros.), and I certainly don't own a book series (The Maze Runner). No flames and unrelated comments as well. Don't have anything helpful to say, don't type it please.**

 **Rated T for Teen**

* * *

He woke up, and the first thing he felt was panic, in a world of darkness with the screeching, jarring sounds of metal against metal.

The ground was shaking, trembling, and he could feel the rough metal beneath his hands as he backed up against a wall. It shook with a rattle - a chain link wall.

Where was he?

He was breathing hard, he was panicking internally; he could tell that at least. He could see vague shadows of boxes and crates alongside him, occasionally illuminated by brief, flashing red lights as they shook with each jolt of the dark room.

Where _was_ he?

There was a whining sound, slowly growing higher and higher in pitch. The room - box - whatever he was in - was speeding upwards. Yes, it was going upwards, that was for sure.

He fought to remember something, anything. Anything before waking up, _anything_.

Then he remembered.

 _My name is Mario._ He thought.

It was the only thing he remembered. He didn't know why he was in a box, why it was dark, why he couldn't remember.

He didn't know why he was so afraid.

Abruptly, with a sudden jolt, the box picked up even more speed. Those occasional red lights had disappeared, and Mario was plunged into total darkness. Over that increasing whining sound, he could hear his own panicked breathing. The rattling of the boxes and crates grew louder as the box sped upwards, the chain link behind Mario rattling more and more.

He didn't know why he hadn't screamed, or yelled yet. It was like that panic was pushing down on his vocal cords, making him unable to let out any sound. He pushed himself as far against the chains as he could. He wanted to get out of here, he wanted this to stop, whatever it was -

Then, as quickly as it started, the box stopped with a loud thud, one final jolt shaking the box. Everything stopped moving. Mario felt like he stopped breathing.

After an ominous, confined silence, Mario shakily stood, legs trembling. He fell once, before standing up again, this time a little more stable. Was he stuck here forever? He couldn't be sure.

Mario waited for what felt like hours, but was likely only minutes in real time. For anything to happen, anything at all. Nothing happened.

Slowly, hesitantly, he forced himself to speak.

"H-hello?" his voice was scratchy, shaky from disuse. How long had he been in this box?

It was as if his voice was the key to the box he was in. He could feel the metal ground below him tremble violently, and for a moment, Mario thought, _It's going to fall-_

The top of the box split open suddenly in the middle with a rough grinding noise, and a harsh, bright light shone directly into Mario's face. Mario stumbled, bringing his hands over his face. He nearly fell over from the shock, the light practically burning his corneas. It was so bright, so bright...

Then, nearly right away, Mario heard voices.

* * *

Many voices. There were many people, then.

It was a first a murmur, an incoherent blob of voices, that quickly evolved into distinct words and statements.

"We got another newcomer, fellas."

"It's not much of a surprise, tier scum -"

"At least he doesn't _look_ like dirt -"

"He looks scrawny for a newbie though, kinda like Link -"

"Shut up, at least he can think and function normally, unlike you -"

"What do you think he'll be good use for? Dirt cleaner?"

There was a loud collection of laughter that followed the comment, one that Mario didn't understand. He still couldn't see the group; the light was still too bright - he could only vague-looking silhouettes -

All of a sudden, there was a large thud in front of Mario, who instinctively scrambled backwards, falling back and slamming against the chain link behind him. He felt the chain dig into his back as he pushed himself up against the chains. Mario's breathing had picked up again as he shielded his eyes from the bright light above.

"Whoa, relax newbie."

The voice had a definite accent to it, one that was smooth and appealing to Mario's ear - almost relaxing in a way. Mario squinted as he let his right hand fall from covering his eyes. There was a bright shine before his eyes began to adjust, slowly yet surely.

Standing over him, was a tall, lithe boy, looking as if he was in his older teens. Sandy blond hair fell around and over his face, while bright, vivid blue eyes sparkled at him. A small smile was on the boy's face, accentuating his handsome facial features.

The boy offered a hand to Mario, which he didn't take. This was all so weird to him... at least his heart wasn't leaping out of his chest...

"C'mon, newbie, you can't stay here all day. In fact, it'd be rather terrible to." the boy said, leaning closer to Mario.

"Just force 'em out Link, he's a stubborn piece of dirt -"

"Bowser, you're not helping." Link turned from Mario to speak upwards at the owner of the voice, and as Link was looking back, Mario stood slowly again, leaning against the chain link for support. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, which was rather unsettling. Why wasn't he running away? Why wasn't he yelling his head off already?

Link had turned at Mario standing up again, and a grin appeared on his face.

"There we go! Alright boys, let's get this newbie out..."

"I got it Link, shove off."

Another boy landed heavily in the metal box as Link backed away to jump back up from the box at the order. Mario could now see a bright blue sky, with clouds speckling the clear, ocean-like blue. This was all happening too fast -

"You all right, kid?"

A rough hand grabbed Mario's upper arm, and practically dragged him toward the opposite end of the box. The owner of the hand was a muscular, dark-haired boy, with a heavy jaw and the vague beginnings of a beard. His eyes were dark and sharp like flint, thick eyebrows giving the impression that the boy seemed always angry-looking.

"Uh, y-yeah -" Mario managed to speak. He was surprised he was even able to say anything at all.

"Alright, get up there." the boy shook the chain link as Mario looked up at the group standing around the box. Link was standing at the front, arms crossed, a small smirk on his face. He jerked his head, and winked.

"C'mon newbie, it's not that hard."

Mario didn't hesitate to jump up and grab the edge of the box, heaving himself upward. He felt a couple pairs of hands grab his shirt, and lift him out completely from the box. Mario's hands met soft, slightly damp grass, and many pairs of shoe-clad feet in his eyesight.

"He looks like dirt." A snarky voice sounded from next to Mario, who looked and stood up. Many, many people were around him.

Mario ignored these people, and in a daze, he shoved slowly through the crowd that seemed to part automatically, and took his full first look at where he was.

There were walls, walls all around a massive prairie-like space, with trees and small clumps of forest in the enclosure as well, the bright sun making the area light up. The enclosure was gigantic, but the walls were even larger - tall, foreboding, intimidating. Mario could see a large black gap in one of the walls at the opposite end, like a door...

"Where am I." he whispered, more of a statement than a question. "Where am I." he repeated, this time louder, turning around to face the group.

It was a group of around twenty or twenty-five, Mario would say, of mostly boys around his age - teenagers. There was only one girl in the group - a very pretty, blond haired girl, her hair in a loose braid. She was standing towards the back near Link, hand on the shoulder of a smaller, pudgy-looking, pink-faced kid. The kid's eyes were shining excitedly as he looked at Mario.

Most of the group stayed silent, and Mario felt panic bubble up in his chest again.

"Where am I?!" Mario asked, his voice growing higher in pitch. "Wh-what am I doing here?"

"Be honest with ya, newbie, none of us know what we're doing here." A tall, muscular boy said, a smirk upon his face. He seemed unimpressed by Mario's panic, which Mario was attempting to bring down.

"Bowser, lay off. You'll be fine newbie, just relax," Link said as he stepped forward, his eyebrows furrowing as a slight frown graced his face. Mario still didn't feel relieved as he began to look around wildly, around at the large enclosure of trees and prairie. His world was spinning as he turned, this was all so overwhelming -

What was he doing here?

What was _happening_?

In his brief shock, Mario barely noticed the other boy who had helped him out of the box step up next to him, clapping a firm hand of Mario's shoulder, keeping him from swaying. The boy waved a hand back at the group, who were still mulling around the box.

"Alright, you guys, unload the Box, would'ya? I'll give the newbie a tour. Link, check the Gate - I wanna check if those runners are gonna come back soon."

Link nodded tightly, running a hand through his hair before jogging lightly toward the gap in the opposite wall. He had flashed Mario an encouraging smile as he turned away. The group that had witnessed Mario's arrival began to jump into the box from which Mario came, unloading the crates that came with him.

Mario noted through his receding panic that all the boys were wearing worn, dirty clothing, mostly pale colors of pants and shirts smeared by dirt and grass stains. Some had belts, bags, or odd harness-like accessories. Link, for one, was wearing a loose belt around his waist, with another around his torso, holding a small machete-type sword on his back. The boy he was walking with was only wearing one belt around his waist - but - there were multiple knives along the belt, sending a chill down Mario's back. Most of the teenagers looked as though they had been in this place a long time.

"My name is Snake, newbie. I'm the leader of the Smashers here." Snake sent a small smile Mario's way, a reassuring one at best. "And this is where we live. The Sanctuary. Well, at least _we_ call it that."

Mario looked down at his feet as they began to walk through the grass. Boot-like shoes were on his feet; like a hybrid between combat boots and running shoes. They were comfortable, that was for sure. His panic had gone down a little less - it was a miracle he hadn't lost his head completely in the last couple minutes.

 _Shock, probably. I can barely comprehend what's going on -_ Mario thought, before Snake's words interrupted his thinking.

"Look, newbie, I know this is a lot to take in, but -"

"Uh - my name is Mario... by the way." Mario said almost automatically as he looked up at Snake(he was rather tall), who had an impressed expression on his face at Mario's response.

"...Wow, you remember your name already, newbie. I didn't remember mine until like, a couple days after I came."

Nobody was giving Mario any straightforward answers, he deduced. How didn't Snake remember his name right away, if it even was his true name? And why was everyone so... okay being in some enclosure-like area?

"What's out there?" Mario pointed briefly at the massive opening that Link had gone in the direction of, but Snake didn't answer right away. Mario looked at him again, and his jaw seemed to have tightened. He obviously didn't want to say anthing.

"...That's something you don't need to worry about. For now, it's getting adjusted to The Sanctuary - you're doing significantly better than most -"

"I'm fine." Mario said quickly. It was incredible, even to him, that his fear and panic had just... disappeared.

He still didn't remember anything though. That was the one thing that continued to nag him.

"Why... why can't I remember anything?"

Snake didn't respond for a moment again as he steered Mario towards a tall look-out tower. It was situated near a small pond, which was surrounded by a few trees hanging over the water. "...It's something that happened to all of us, newbie. Most of us panic for a few days, some don't. It's just... something we have to live with. To be honest with you, I can't even answer some of my own questions..." He stopped Mario when they reached the foot of the tower. There was a rope ladder that led to a top platform above, but Snake made no movement to go up it. "We don't really need to go up there; our main living quarters are around that glade." Snake said offhandedly as he gestured vaguely around a patch of thick trees from the watch tower, and began to walk again, toward the direction he gestured. "I'm not here to do all the touring anyway, I have a lot of dirt to do - hey, Kirby! Come over here!"

The same pudgy kid from the group at the box, who was walking by them now, jumped slightly at Snake's voice, then jogged toward the two slowly. Kirby was a short, rather round kid, with those bright pink cheeks and a dopey smile on his face. He seemed like a friendly face to Mario at least.

"Hey Snake! Hey, newbie." Kirby said cheerfully, waving a hand as he stopped by them, putting his hands on his hips.

Snake smiled, nodding at Kirby. "So, Mario," Snake patted Mario roughly on the back, making him stumble forward slightly. "Kirbs is gonna show you around - he was the newbie before you. For now, I gotta go - help out with the Box and other things." he said vaguely. "Make sure he doesn't run, Kirby." Snake did a slight salute, and Kirby returned the gesture.

"Got it!"

Once Snake turned away, Kirby turned toward Mario, a large grin on his face. He had a few gaps in his teeth from lost baby teeth, likely, some of them crooked.

"So you're the newbie, huh? Wow, I got a lot to show you." Kirby began to walk briskly in the opposite direction that Snake went, and Mario followed. Each stride Mario took through the long grass, Kirby took two. "You're doing so much better than I did my first day, I started crying when I saw everyone, almost dirt my pants, accidentally punched Link in the face, I - Hey! Where are you going?"

Mario had gone in the direction of the Gate, jogging slightly ahead of Kirby. He didn't need a tour, he needed to figure out what was going on -

"Hey! Newbie! We can't go over there! I'm supposed to take you to the living quarters and stuff, not there - hey!" Mario could hear Kirby running after him, to which he picked up his pace toward the Gate.

As Mario neared the Gate, there was a long shadow cast over him by the massive concrete walls, and the grass became sparse and more stone than vegetation. There was an odd breeze coming the black void past the Gate. Mario slowed down to a walk, and turned around. Only Kirby was slowly running toward Mario; no one else was paying attention to the two, as far as Mario could tell from this ways away from the Box. Link was nowhere to be seen - he must have left the Gate from Snake's orders.

"What's in there?" Mario asked Kirby. "Past this gap?"

"We... can't go in... there." Kirby huffed as he stopped next to Mario. "It's - it's dangerous. Seriously, I don't know what's in there, but it's -"

"- a maze, newbie." Mario looked back, and saw that same muscular teen staring at him with a smirk on his face, arms crossed. He was the one who had kept saying those snarky comments before. His eyes were dark, and even though he was smiling, the smile didn't reach his eyes. Kirby frowned.

"Bowser, I thought you were supposed to be helping out with the Box -"

"Well, we got it done, and I noticed this piece of dirt coming over to the Gap, like he's going into Subspace!" Bowser let out a bark of laughter. "Like he would last a minute..."

Mario frowned slightly. As far as he was concerned, he wanted to figure out what was going on, not get interrupted by some guy -

"We're also supposed to be nice to other Smashers, Bowser. He's a newbie..." Kirby muttered, but Bowser ignored the younger boy, shoving by him roughly. He brought his face close to Mario's, and poked him roughly in the chest. Mario could smell his breath, he was that close. _You need something for that breath, dude..._

"This one thinks he can just waltz into Subspace... that's also against the rules..."

"I - I didn't think I was doing anything wrong... I just want to know what's going -" Mario stammered, pushing his cheeky comment from his mind, but Bowser cut him off.

"You better watch your back, dirt -"

"I hope we aren't getting into disagreements already, boys." Kirby, Mario and Bowser all turned, and saw Link walking toward them, a slight frown on his face. To Mario, Link seemed to be always frowning on default. He also, to Mario's surprise, had a slight limp - one that favored his right leg, it looked like. "It's only the newbie's first day."

"He's thinking about going right into Subspace, Link. You know what can happen in there... he could get taken." Link clenched his jaw, a blood vessel becoming more defined in his neck as he stopped in front of Bowser, pushing him slightly away from Mario.

"Says the one whose never set a toe inside, Bowser." Link drew himself up to full height (he was almost taller than Bowser as he did it, which was rather impressive, considering the fact Bowser was built like a tank), and pointed a finger into Bowser's face. "Let's just relax - I'm not an idiot, the newbie obviously can't go in... but you don't need to accent that with a threat."

"I wasn't threatening him. I was just... playing." Bowser smirked in Link's face, before slowly turning and walking away. There was a brief silence as he walked away, the only sounds the distant shouts of the rest of the Smashers. Mario could still feel that odd breeze from the gap behind him.

Link sighed, before smiling at Mario. Was it just him, or did all of the boys look... stressed? "Ignore the bloke, Mario. He's just stubborn kid, trying to act like the boss here -" Link sent a look at Bowser's retreating back before continuing. "-it's really Snake that made all the rules, and was here nearly two years before Bowser..." he sighed in an exasperated manner and rolled his eyes.

The Smashers inability to answer Mario's constant questions was starting to get on his nerves - Mario wanted to know what was going on, for god's sake.

"What is actually going on here? Why won't anyone tell me anything?" Mario said. His voice had started getting louder.

Link fixed him with a stony expression before responding. "You'll figure everything out as time goes on, newbie. For now, drop it." his voice was clipped with a sudden authority that Mario hadn't heard before. "Kirby," Link turned to the younger boy, who attentively looked up. "settle him into his hammock, show him the ropes. We're going to have a welcome bonfire tonight for you, Mario." Link nodded slightly. "I'll see you later tonight."

He walked away, leaving Kirby and Mario in a stiff silence, before Kirby began to walk back as well.

"C'mon, we gotta get you a spot for your hammock."

Mario nodded in response, turning one last time to look back at the dark passageway behind him, before following the younger boy.

The odd breeze coming from 'Subspace' seemed to pick up, whistling slightly louder than it had before.

He still wasn't remembering anything.

* * *

 **BIG first chapter. Can't really add much action now, but it'll definitely come in the next chapter (or two). Don't worry, many more characters will pop up in this story - don't fret if your fav isn't in this chapter! R &R ~ALBS**

 **NOTE: -dirt is basically a Smasher's slang for poop. Yeah, they do use ~traditional~ swear words, but then again, you know. Little confusing, but I'm not completely copying slang from The Maze Runner then, lol :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hola guys! Chapter 2 of The Subspace Runner is up! I've been gone and my updates have been getting flaky, especially with my Zelda fanfic... hopefully I get it together soon! Anyway, let me know about any weird errors or anything, and R &R!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything :/**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

Night had fallen too fast for Mario, too fast for him to at least intercept Snake or Link once and ask them again about The Sanctuary and Subspace.

Maybe he was being annoying, bothering two guys who seemed far up on the Smasher hierarchy, one that Mario, for one, barely understood. For one, Mario had been The Sanctuary for less than a day. And Bowser would continually send him nasty looks whenever they were in vicinity of each other, even when Mario was just standing around, doing nothing. Kirby said he didn't have to worry about it, but whenever Mario asked a question that seemed vaguely related to Subspace, the younger boy became momentarily deaf until Mario stopped asking.

So Mario had dropped it early on.

Kirby had introduced him to a lot of people when they were getting their dinner, so many that Mario really only remembered a few. There was the cook, Falcon (people jokingly called him Captain, Mario figured out), whose biceps looked about as big as Mario's head (Mario couldn't fathom _why_ he was the head cook when he could've easily cut lumber with one swing of a knife or axe), Luigi, a bumbling, awkward kid who was somehow the Smasher's healer, who Mario had taken a liking to, and Ness, a kid who seemingly had no special talents and just helped around The Sanctuary whenever he could. They were the only few who Mario could remember - Kirby had been firing off names every few seconds with a brief summary about who they were, while Mario had continued to struggle to keep up.

"... And that guy over there is Wolf. He's one of the Sharpeners."

"Sharpeners?"

"Meaning he can either tear you apart with his bare hands, or with his knives. He's a guy you wouldn't want to cross, just sayin'."

"...Oh."

Kirby and Mario sat down on a short log near the bonfire that Snake and Link had set up after their dinner (which was some sort of stew which Mario thought wasn't terrible at all, even though the other Smashers had complained about Captain's cooking), while other Smashers were talking or play-fighting in groups. The moon was slowly rising up into the night sky, and the temperature had gone down reasonably far. Mario was only wearing a light henley shirt and joggers, but the fire was warm enough as he stretched his legs toward the fire. He felt reasonably comfortable in The Sanctuary now.

"What about Link? Or Snake?" Mario asked Kirby as he pointed vaguely at them. The two were talking with a small group of boys, including one tall, muscular girl that Mario hadn't seen before.

Kirby shifted in his spot, scratching the top of his head. "Well... I think Link used to be a runner. At least, that's what I've heard from the other Smashers. Anyway, he went out in Subspace all the time, apparently. But when I showed up like a month ago from the Box, he had already stopped being one - probably like, a year before I showed up. At least, that's my guess."

"Why did he quit?"

"He limps, right? Something must have happened, then..." Kirby leaned closer to Mario, and brought his voice down to a whisper. "...rumors are that when he went out into Subspace once, he tried to... do himself in. He snapped."

"What?" Mario quickly glanced at Link. He was now talking to the girl he had seen at the Box, running his hand through his hair while occasionally smiling, a stark contrast to his usual frown. The girl seemed to be reciprocating Link's apparent flirting, by laughing and touching his upper arm periodically.

"I don't think it's true, but that's what I've heard, you know?" Kirby shrugged, and tore apart a piece of bread, giving a half to Mario. "It's something I guess we shouldn't talk about. Anyway, Snake -" Kirby cut himself off by shoving his piece of bread in his mouth, "-he's the leader - the first one who arrived in The Sanctuary, I'd say... three or four years ago." he continued thickly through his chewing, "He's nice, but he's really a stickler for the rules. I mean, he made them, if you think about it." Kirby began ticking off the rules on his chubby fingers. "One, cooperate with everyone. Two, do your job and don't slack off. Three, never go into the maze unless you're a runner. Four, listen to your group leader. You'll get a group at one point - like a job you do best. I'm a all-rounder - I do whatever the leader's tell me to do, whether it's cleaning up dirt -" Kirby pulled a face before continuing, "- or helping out Captain."

Mario thought for a moment about what Kirby had just said, and instantly came up with something that had been on his mind. Of course - why hadn't he asked Kirby about this before?

"I want to be a runner," Mario turned toward Kirby, whose eyebrows shot up suddenly. "I can be one, can't I?"

Kirby let out a bark of short laughter, and shook his head. "Look, you can't just be -"

"But what if I want to be one? I want to go out there, go out into Subspace, see what everyone is so afraid of - I mean, c'mon, haven't _any_ of you been trying to... get out? If it's a maze, there's obviously an exit, isn't there?"

Kirby only raised his hands in the air defensively, raising his eyebrows. "How am I supposed to know? I'm only an All-Rounder, I don't do much... much less go out into Subspace -"

"Mario! I want to talk to you - Kirby, is it okay if I steal him?" Both Kirby and Mario turned in their spot to see Link striding toward them, the blond girl walking next to him.

Kirby stood up, dusting off bread crumbs from his pants, and Mario stood as well, shoving his hands into his pockets. Kirby smiled at Link, and jerked his head in the direction of Mario.

"Yeah, sure you can. Oh, that reminds me, Zelda -" Kirby, to Mario's slight surprise, drew a small knife from his belt and handed it to the girl, who smiled. Link looked completely unfazed by the fact that Kirby had just had a knife carelessly stuck into his belt. "-I managed to get your knife back from Captain - he likes to use it for the food and stuff."

"It's a rather dirty knife though, we're probably all going to get sick now if he used it..." Zelda's voice was gentle and light, one that was very appealing to Mario's ears. Now that she was standing in front of him, Mario determined that she was very pretty - her eyes looked almost violet in the firelight. "...But, oh well, I guess!" she laughed and ruffled Kirby's hair, who laughed as well.

"Mario, I wanted to talk to you. At least, Snake told me to talk to you." Link continued, raising an eyebrow. His smile that Mario had seen earlier had morphed back in a small frown. "Apparently, Bowser snitched on you straying toward Subspace -" He shot a look backward, where Bowser was play-fighting with other Smashers, remaining undefeated, it looked like. "- and Snake think's it's something that isn't too serious... I always deal with the small stuff, but..." Link shrugged, before smiling slightly.

"Oh... okay. Yeah." Mario glanced at Kirby, who had started striking up conversation with Zelda, then followed Link away from the bonfire, walking out into the darkened clearing of The Sanctuary, where it was quieter. After a few moments of walking, Link abruptly stopped, turning to face Mario. He pointed a finger up at the darkened sky, cocking his head slightly to the right.

"D'you hear that?" Link murmured, and Mario strained his ears to hear what Link may be talking about. Was the older boy playing some joke on him?

Yet, after a few moments, he heard it.

Dull thuds and clicks, obviously from outside the walls surrounding The Sanctuary. The sounds echoed, but only for a brief moment before becoming muffled again. It was an oddly disturbing sound, one that echoed with a sort of solemn finality, before starting up again, seemingly from another area, it sounded like.

Mario nodded rapidly, turning to Link. "Y-yeah..." What was the point of Link having him listen to Subspace anyway?

"That's Subspace. Changing. And -" Link stopped abruptly just as Mario heard it, a sound that sent chills down his spine.

It was quiet, but Mario definitely heard it - he wasn't crazy. An odd shrieking noise, like someone was screaming in agony, but not quite, coming from Subspace. Link's mouth had transformed into a very thin line across his face, his eyes flashing.

Mario couldn't help but swallow nervously, unconsciously bringing a hand up to his brown mop of hair, nervously trying to smooth it down. It didn't work - Mario could feel his hair spring back up.

"That," Link said after the odd scream had faded, looking down at his feet, "Was a Floow." His voice had become oddly clipped, like he was fighting down some emotion.

"A Floow?"

"Yeah. They're the... things, that live in Subspace. I mean," Link turned abruptly around back around toward the bonfire, as if he didn't want to keep staring out towards the wall. "No one has ever _seen_ one and... well, lived. They get killed by those things."

"So no one has survived when they met up with a Floow, is what you're saying."

Link looked at Mario with almost a smile. "No one survives a night in Subspace. And if the Floows come out during the day, then... runners can get Taken. It's rare, but it happens..."

"Taken?"

"It's hard to explain. Let's just say, that... you don't end up the same again. Either dead or crazy. That's why we can't have just regular Smashers going in there, people who don't know the rules of Subspace... like you... so, well, anyway, d'you see that group over there?" Link slung an arm over Mario's shoulders, pointing at a small group of five people, "Those are the runners. Sonic, Fox, Samus, Meta, and Marth. They're the fastest and the toughest of us - the ones who can get around the maze... all the while trying to find a way out."

Mario looked at Link, whose face was rather impassive. "Weren't you a runner?"

Mario's question made Link's face stiff, and suddenly very serious. He saw a vein jump in the blond's neck, before Link cracked a smirk and shook his head.

"That was a long time ago, Mario. Few years, to be exact - I doubt with my leg I can't run faster than - well - anyone here." Link shrugged, as if the idea didn't bother him. "I wouldn't last a day in Subspace."

Mario finally took the chance to ask the question that had been bugging him ever since he arrived, one that, even though Mario was getting answers, was never exactly answered as well.

"What _is_ Subspace? Really? I know it's a maze, but...what's the point?"

Link sighed, as if the answer would be taxing of energy. "Well... it changes, everyday, like I said. New places open up, you see. Different... zones, environments, I recall. And we, us Smashers, are... trying to find a way out. It's something in the back of all our heads Mario, not just yours. Trust me, it's natural to want to get out right away. But those _things_... don't want us to leave, I have a feeling. Snake, Sonic, and I... haven't been telling the others. Bowser would blame us for things, and - why am I telling you all this, you're a newbie... I reckon you're probably overwhelmed..." Link cut himself off, shaking his head rapidly.

"N-no, I just wanted to know - I - I want to be -" Mario stammered, trying to cut himself off, but he had already gave himself away.

"-A runner?" Link scoffed, before directing Mario back toward the bonfire. "You'd have to talk to Sonic, but I bet your dirt that he'll turn you down. Only idiots run the maze."

"You really shouldn't be that critical Link - so you watch who you're talking about, tier scum!" Mario turned in the direction of the sudden loud voice, and saw the tall blond girl from before, hands on her hips. She had apparently heard Link from a ways away, which was rather impressive, Mario thought.

Link rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "Relax, Samus. Just telling the newbie not to consider being a runner." Samus frowned, and walked up to Mario, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

"And what, by telling him we're idiots? Newbie, you don't want to hang around pretty boy here, he's all soft -"

"This pretty boy here is also second-in-command, so watch your face -"

"Ooh, is pretty boy angry?" Samus purred, as Mario continued to look back and forth between her and Link, as they effortlessly fired off remarks to each other.

"Samus arrived with Zelda after Snake and I," Link directed to Mario, "The only two to arrive at the same time, only girls to show up since -"

"Yeah, that's because we had to keep the two dipshits who are Snake and Link in line -"

"- And two people didn't show up at the same time anymore. The people who sent us here probably grew sick of them hanging around, in fact -"

"- I haven't seen you grow tired of Zellie in a _long_ time -"

"- Well that's because all my exhaustion stems from talking to you -"

"- You grow tired of _talking_ with Zellie, you know what I'm saying, right newbie?" Samus smirked and nudged Mario, as Mario saw Link's face glow in the dim light of the bonfire. "Gets really _warm_ with pretty boy -"

Link didn't respond, instead scoffing and walking away in the direction of Snake, who was calmly watching Bowser yet again throw another Smasher to the side of the makeshift fighting ring near the fire. A large congregation of boys had formed, all obnoxiously shouting and talking. Mario watched Bowser flex his massive arms and seem to bask in his glory of throwing another boy into the dirt.

Mario watched Link stop next to Snake and begin talking to him, but their faces were oddly stiff. A shorter, skinny boy was talking to them as well, arms crossed. The boy's hair nearly looked a dark blue in the glow of the fire, Mario thought.

"Don't worry about it, newbie. Him and Snake are always on edge anyway." Samus remarked offhandedly, shrugging. "I always push Link's buttons, just to rile him up a little."

"...Oh. But," Mario looked in the direction of Snake and Link again before continuing. "He kept arguing about not being a runner..."

"Don't be one, newbie. Unless Sonic personally believes you can be one, then knock yourself out. Just sayin'." Samus walked away without another word, leaving Mario standing quite awkwardly alone. The group surrounding the fighting ring has been shrinking, Mario saw, as people began to head back to the sleeping area. Kirby had come from the crowd, and noticed Mario, walking toward him. Mario had the sudden urge to turn away and go back the sleeping area without Kirby, but Kirby had already started asking him a question.

"What did Link talk to you about?"

"Um... nothing. Really." Mario added as Kirby raised an eyebrow. "It was nothing."

Kirby shot him a skeptical look, before seeming to resist the urge to interrogate. "...Okay."

The two began to walk toward the darkened sleeping area in silence, which was practically a thatched roof covering a maze of hammocks attached to wood columns, lit by a few torches. There was a light breeze, one that sent chills down Mario's back as he walked.

It struck Mario that he was stuck here, stuck in this Sanctuary, stuck in a place where other boys have been for years. And they still haven't found a way out of Subspace. Mario thought that was odd, a maze could be solved, couldn't it? But a maze that changed, with weird... monsters that didn't want the Smashers to leave.

Mario also had a feeling that Snake and Link obviously wasn't telling him something, but maybe he was being too nosy anyway. There was just something that was nagging him...

Mario walked over to his hammock, which was slung up next to Kirby's, who instantly rolled into his and turned over in it. Mario didn't realize how tired he actually was until he awkwardly scrambled into his own hammock, sinking into the thick fabric.

He rolled over so he could see the dying flame of the bonfire, and saw silhouettes near it, three of them. Mario tried to ignore that nagging feeling of secrecy that was swirling around The Sanctuary, and turned over again. Kirby already seemed to be asleep. The hammock was actually quite nice, compared to that Box...

Mario felt his eyelids grow heavy, and slowly sunk into a dizzying sleep.

* * *

 _He kept seeing her face, staring at him in a concerned, but emotionless way. Detached._

 _"TABUU is good, Mario." she whispered. Every time her face seemed to clear, it increased in blurriness. "Remember that. TABUU is good."_

 _There was another girl, looking at him. Her eyes were a sad, crystal blue. Then she disappeared, and Mario could only see bubbles, like he was in water._

 _Blurry face._

 _"TABUU is good."_

 _Water. A scream, then bubbles._

 _"Remember that."_

 _A bright light, like an operating table light, then people. He couldn't see their faces._

 _"This is for your own good."_

 _The girl with the sad eyes. A tear falling down her face._

 _"TABUU is good."_

 _There was a warbling scream. A Floow? He couldn't be sure._

 _"Remember that."_

XXX

Mario woke once during the night, his heart pounding, but he didn't know why. Someone's voice was ringing in his ears, pounding against his skull. He could hear Kirby's steady, heavy breathing from next to him. Was it just him, or did he hear another scream - a Floow scream?

Mario shoved the thought - and noise - from his mind, falling back into his hammock groggily, sinking into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **Da-yum. Honestly, I had no idea how to end this chapter, and originally planned to make it twice as long... but I think this will work best, right? :D R &R! ~ALBS**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys! Chapter 3 of The Subspace Runner is here! Thanks for reviewing, following, e.t.c e.t.c... I'm glad people are enjoying it! I hope to upload another chapter this week, but I can't be sure, so yeah. Anyway, real talk: I don't know if Mario has his famous 'stache (I didn't really specify), he's a teenager in this story, but if you want to imagine him with one, go ahead friends. :P So, just read and enjoy, and R &R! Let me know if there are any weird errors at all!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own The Maze Runner, or Nintendo things for that matter.**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

"Hey, Mario."

There was a sudden, sharp poke in Mario's side, one that made Mario screw up his eyes and roll over restlessly in his hammock. He felt so tired...

"Newbie, c'mon."

Another poke.

"We gotta get up... or you do, for that matter." Mario tried to shut out Kirby's voice, the younger boy's voice seemed to pierce through Mario's efforts to sleep longer. "Bowser's gonna kick your ass for sleeping in... or Snake, or anybody."

"...Just a little longer, Kirby." Mario mumbled, but opened his eyes slightly.

The sun was out, slowly rising in the sky, painting it colors of orange and pink. The sun was barely up, and Mario was _sleeping in_ apparently...

"We don't got a little. You're gonna miss breakfast, and starve until lunch time."

Mario forced himself up onto his elbows, nearly falling out of his hammock as it trembled unsteadily. After gaining his balance again, Mario swung his legs out of the cozy hammock, running a hand though his crazy bed head, one that definitely couldn't be tamed. Mario looked up blearily to see the chubby, smug-looking Kirby standing in front of him, hands on his sides. The younger boy jerked his head in the direction outside of the sleeping area, where there were Smashers already starting the day, it looked like.

"Gotta get to work, y'know."

Mario stood, stretching languidly, hands over his head. "Alright, alright, I'm up..." Kirby beamed, grabbing Mario's arm as he began walking the older boy toward the kitchen area, near the bonfire from last night.

"So, I have a sweatshirt for you, in case things get cold..." Kirby handed Mario a red and blue sweatshirt, one that obviously was very worn. "And today, I'm thinking you'll just work around with different people, and don't even ask about the runners, they've already left for Subspace." Kirby added when Mario opened his mouth to speak.

Captain was still cleaning up the 'slop' areas(which was what the Smashers would call) where the duo arrived, and was able to give Mario some bread by Kirby's bribing.

"You better pay for that piece, Kirby. That stuff is supposed to go to the pigs, y'know!" the Captain called after the two. Kirby simply snorted.

"I think the pigs will be okay, Cap - they already have enough... anyway, let's go Mario - we can go check out the garden, maybe help out there." Mario nodded in agreement, seeing how he was preoccupied with his generous piece of bread - one that would have to suffice until lunch.

The two made their way to the garden, which was set near the slop area, next to a large tree that cast an early-day shadow in the opposite direction of the garden. A few people were already working - including Link, who was busying himself with trimming one of the plants, facing the duo. Link's eyes flickered upward at Kirby and Mario, and he waved slightly, brandishing a short sword.

"I see the newbie is up." he said as Mario and Kirby neared, and went back to cutting off one of the thick vines of, Mario saw, a tomato plant. "I thought he'd never get out of his hammock."

"I shoved him out, Link." Kirby said, in a proud tone. "Now he can get to work, right?" Link chuckled, shaking his head lightly as he looked up again.

"You'd want to find Zelda for that. I'm already full for the gardeners, and Snake's working with the Builders right now. I'm sure she's got something for you two - you can come back later if you want to help me with cutting up a dead tree."

Kirby nodded and sent Link the thumbs-up, who smiled in response, while nodding tightly to Mario. Kirby patted Mario's arm as he turned around, walking away from the gardens at a brisk pace.

"So, we'll have to find Zelda... I have no idea where she is though; she has a separate room with Samus - y'know, cause they're girls. I mean, all the Leaders get separate rooms, so..." Kirby inhaled deeply, stopping in front of the now-dead bonfire.

"What does Zelda normally do then? Around the Sanctuary?"

"...Oh, y'know, work with Luigi in the Med Tent, help out with Captain on the food, work with Link... she does everything and anything. She's also really mean with a knife-"

"Wait, what?"

"- anyway, let's go that way." Kirby pointed in the direction of the animal pens, while Mario paused for a moment, thinking over what Kirby had just said, before following.

"So - the runners -"

"Man, you really gotta stop bringing that up -"

"- they haven't found any way out?" Mario finished his question, one that he truly wanted an answer to. And his dream...

Mario stopped walking for a moment, the remnants of his dream flooding back to him.

 _TABUU..._

Kirby turned as he saw Mario stop walking, and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you good?"

Mario looked up, and saw Kirby's slightly concerned face. "Uh, yeah. I just... thought of something. Never mind."

Kirby looked sideways, before his eyes flickered back to Mario. "...Okay. Um - oh! Zelda!"

Mario turned around as Kirby ran up next to him, and both saw Zelda come from the direction of the sleeping areas. She looked flustered, and jumped at Kirby's voice, turning in the direction of the two. She waved slightly, beginning to walk toward them as she began tying up her hair, it looked like.

"Is there anything that I and the newbie can do? Link told us to go to you..."

"Oh! Uh - well -" Zelda stopped in front of them, wrapping her arms around herself, leaning heavily on one leg. She shrugged, adjusting her large sweatshirt, one that was dirty and wearing at the edges. "I guess... you could work the animals. Y'know, the pigs, the chickens..." Kirby wrinkled his nose, but didn't say anything. "C'mon, Kirby, you don't have to work over there the whole day anyway... and Mario will be there, right?" Zelda smiled brightly, and Mario could only nod. Animals didn't seem exactly very exciting...

"Aw, Zelda, isn't there something else? Like work with the Sharpeners?" Kirby clasped his hands together and shook them in a pleading manner, while Zelda only shook her head.

"I don't Mario to get scarred by those hooligans on his first day - both metaphorically and literally." she shrugged, and began walking backwards, in the direction of the gardens. "I'll check back with you guys later - I gotta go talk to Link." Zelda turned completely, and began jogging in the direction Mario and Kirby came.

Kirby sighed, turning in a defeated manner and walking back toward the animal pens. "Let's go, Mario. She usually has something not boring to do... but, oh well."

"I'm sure it's okay." Mario remarked, shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pocket. Feeding animals would have to put off his urge into going into Subspace...

"Yeah, it's not bad. I mean, she's older than me, obviously, so seniority I guess."

Mario frowned slightly, and looked down at Kirby. "How old do you think I am?"

The younger boy looked up, and his eyebrows knit together in concentration. "I'd say... around Bowser's age? 17? 18? I'm sure Link and Snake are close to 19 or 20 now, Zelda's like 18, and I'm..."

"I'd say you're around 13 or 14." Mario said quickly, shrugging. Kirby nodded rapidly, grinning.

"That's what everyone says I look like. I mean, it may just be them answering really quickly to get them off their backs... Link says that I've only been here like a month and I'm driving him up the wall, so -" Kirby's smile widened, and Mario couldn't help but smile back. The younger boy was a nice kid, that was for sure...

The two reached the animal pens, meeting with the caretaker of the pigs, chickens, and there were even a few goats. The caretaker's name was Ganondorf - a rather terrifying, large boy who practically towered over Mario. He was nice enough, but gruff and very callous, Mario deduced.

"You two tier-scums just feed the pigs that slop over there, then take the chickens and the goats out into the field spot over there." Ganondorf pointed in the respective directions, squinting against the now-risen sun. "But don't lead those animals near the gardens, or pretty boy will try to kill me. I'm going to the slaughterhouse, so don't screw anything up in that time." Ganondorf crossed his arms, then stalked away, leaving Mario and Kirby standing alone.

After a few moments of silence, Mario took a deep breath before speaking. "Hey, Kirby, let's go feed those pigs then." Mario tried to initiate, grabbing Kirby's arm and almost dragging him to the makeshift pig pen.

"Mario, those pigs don't like me, y'know... they always try to bite me in the butt -"

"No offense, but you may look like one, so..."

"You're mean."

Mario didn't respond, and only laughed as he swung his legs over the pig pen, landing in the mud that many of the pigs were languishing in. He turned to Kirby, and beckoned with his right hand.

"Could you get that slop bucket over there?"

"As long as I don't have to get in there, yeah." Mario rolled his eyes as Kirby trudged over to the bucket sitting next to one of the fence posts, picking it up and walking slowly back to Mario. "It's... really heavy..." He handed the bucket to Mario, who sagged slightly under the weight as he began trudging toward the pig trough, stepping over a particularly large pig sprawled out in the mud.

Mario exhaled as he dumped the slightly smelly contents of the large bucket into the trough, before walking back to the fence where Kirby was standing. None of the pigs seem to acknowledge Mario - only burying deeper into the mud or shifting slightly.

"How did you guys get pigs anyway?" Mario asked as he vaulted himself back over the fence, rubbing his now muddy shoes against the grass. Kirby shrugged, and began walking toward the chicken pen.

"Every week, the Box comes up with new supplies, animals, sometimes even weapons. And every month, it brings up a new Smasher. It's how it's always been. Animals haven't come up in a while though..." The younger boy stopped in front of the smaller pen, which was inhabited with a few large chickens and a couple goats.

The two boys herded the chickens and goats out into the large clearing of the Sanctuary, where they kept most of the animals together, until a chicken and a goat strayed near the garden areas. Yoshi, one of the main gardeners, was red in the face from yelling at both Mario and Kirby as the two chased the animals through the gardens (Kirby had gotten pecked by the chicken multiple times) before the two caught the animals.

Mario and Kirby spent their lunch afterward sitting next to the small pond, under the shade of a large tree. Kirby sat examining the many marks from the unforgiving chicken, while Mario fiddled with a strand of grass.

"That freakin' chicken..." Kirby muttered as he drew a finger over one of the angry welts on his left leg. "It was all Yoshi's fault, he kept getting' the animal mad..."

"He was trying his best anyway, I mean -"

"Hey, you guys!"

Both Kirby and Mario looked up to see Link walking toward them, with his usual heavy-looking limp. The second-in-command had shed his usual sweatshirt, and was now wearing a worn-looking green henley.

"I heard you two were causing quite a racket in the gardens with a -" Link looked upwards in mock thought as he stopped next to the sitting Mario. "-chicken."

"There was a goat too." Kirby piped up, shoving Mario. "Mario was supposed to take care of it, but the darn dirt chicken kept pecking me and he kept laughing..."

"I couldn't help it." Mario said, and Link laughed slightly, shaking his head.

"Anyway, if you two want to help me with cutting up this dead tree after your break, you can. I'd need the help." Link remarked, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side.

"Sure. I don't think I can say no to second-in-command, right?" Mario replied, and Link smiled, but it quickly morphed back into an impassive expression.

"No, you can never say no. I'll meet you two near the slop area then." Link turned away with a wave, making his way back to makeshift dining area near Captain's kitchen. Mario turned to Kirby, who had resumed examining his legs.

"Do you just want to go over there now? It's not like we have anything else to do." Mario considered this true as he asked it; the only thing to entertain him would be Kirby making remarks about the deadly chicken earlier in the day.

Kirby's arms dropped to his side as he stretched out his legs. "I guess. I'm terrible at using an axe or sword though."

"You're probably better with a weapon than I am." Mario said as he stood, grabbing Kirby's arm and pulling the boy onto his feet. "You've been here longer." Mario thought his statement sounded genuine enough; after all, he had a feeling he had never handled a weapon in his whole life - as far as he could remember.

"Only by a month, and besides, I never go near the Sharpeners - Wolf once threatened to slit my throat if I touched one of his knives."

Mario raised an eyebrow at Kirby's statement. "I thought you weren't supposed to hurt other Smashers."

"Yeah, I'm sure he was bluffing, but... you never know." Kirby kicked a stray stone, which went sailing into the small pond with a splash. "Wolf just _looking_ at you could kill."

Mario simply shrugged, and the two made their way to the slop area, where Link was waiting.

The older boy was leaning against one of the posts holding up the thatched roof of the kitchen, examining his short sword. Link's eyebrows were furrowed and a frown was on his face; Mario also noticed Zelda sitting a ways away, next to Yoshi and Ness. She seemed to be sending occasional glares in the direction of Link - or maybe Mario was just imagining things.

Link looked up when Mario and Kirby neared, and sheathed his sword in the strap along his back.

"You two ready?"

Mario nodded, and Link turned around, leading them in the direction of the lookout tower.

"There's this dead tree over there - the whole upper half fell a couple weeks ago, nearly crushed Ganondorf then. Now it's just half a tree that needs to be chopped up." Link raised a hand up over his eyes as the sun pierced through a cloud as he spoke. When the trio got the closer to the watch tower, the tree, Mario saw, was short and grey-colored, stark contrast to the bright greens around it.

"I noticed Zelda was looking at you, Link." Kirby said, with a seemingly innocent voice.

"Really? I rather didn't notice at all."

 _So I wasn't imagining it,_ Mario thought as Link handed him a small axe, before the other boy drew his own sword. Kirby sat down on a hollow log near the tree, resting his chin in his hands.

Link began to hack at the tree's base, and started to speak through occasional pants of breath.

"This is what you'll have to get used to, helping around," Link began, his voice sounding slightly aggravated. Mario looked back at Kirby, who simply shrugged, holding up his hands. "'cause we're a family." Link stood up straight, waving his sword in the direction of Mario. The second-in-command's cobalt eyes seemed to flash in the sunlight as he bent over again, swinging his sword into the tree. "The minute Snake and I, saw that these kids were just gonna keep coming up and up, we knew, that, we were going to have to work together. That's the thing that's keeping us together - we can't just, do whatever we want to do, it's required that we cooperate.

"I've been here, for nearly four years. That's a damn long time if you tell me. And we're still trying to find a way out of this place. The only thing, that's keeping each other from ripping each other's heads off, is that we're aware that we need to stick together. Only way we'll live." Link finished, and after a long pause, the only noise being the thwack of Link's sword against the tree, Mario spoke.

"So, have you guys tried -"

"Ask me anything, and I'll say we tried it."

Mario swung the axe into the tree before speaking. "Going down with the Box."

"Won't go down if someone's in it. Snake tried before anyone else was here."

"Subspace; like, an end?" Kirby piped up. Link shook his head roughly.

"Haven't bloody found it." Mario thought Link sounded significantly more stressed than he had the day before, but he suspected that it must have been Zelda - why else would she be glaring daggers at the second-in-command?

"Climbing? I mean, there are vines -"

"Tried it." Link said, before Mario even finished his sentence. Mario glanced back at Kirby, who send him a significant look.

The small group didn't speak for a long while, until Link stood up straight, resting his sword against the now battered base of the tree.

"Say, Mario, would you mind going into the Dark Glade to get some spare wood we keep back there? I just remembered that Captain wanted some..." Link leaned on the tree, and the wood groaned near Mario's side.

"Uh - sure. Where is -?"

Link pointed in the direction of the Gate. "In the corner of the Sanctuary, near the Gate. You'll know when you see it. There's a whole bunch of spare wood lying around in there, just get some and head to the slop place. Kirby, will you want to finish the job with me? I'll make sure you don't take your hand off."

Kirby nodded eagerly, and Mario handed the axe to the younger boy, before setting off at a slight jog in the direction Link pointed.

* * *

Mario reached the Dark Glade, and he knew why the Smashers called it that - it was foreboding and unwelcoming, nestled in the corner of the Sanctuary, away from all busy areas of the Sanctuary.

The glade of trees wasn't large, just dark, Mario thought, walking on a worn path into the small grove. He reached a clearing within a minute or so, with logs and dead trees littered along the ground in the dim light. And ominously, there were some small crosses, sticking out from the ground in random places.

 _This is a graveyard._ Mario thought, a chill running down his spine. He walked a wide circle around the cluster of grave markers, toward a rather neat pile of wood stacked up against a large tree.

Mario began to grab chunks of wood at a quick pace, before collecting a substantial pile near his feet and turning to pick the wood up.

And Mario saw a boy standing a ways away from him, staring.

Mario froze, before slowly standing up straight. The boy didn't move, and only stared.

"Um... hey there." Mario said, and began searching for a name. "Fox... Fox, right? Listen, uh, I gotta get this wood to Captain, so -"

"It's all your fault." Fox whispered, but loud enough for Mario to hear. "It's your fault."

"Wh-what?"

"You're going to kill us. I know you."

Mario began sidling in the direction of the path, about 30 feet away. Fox wasn't acting right - he looked too roughed up - and, was that _blood_?

"L-look, Fox -"

"Didn't you hear me?! You're gOING TO KILL US!" Fox abruptly screamed, and without warning, ran at Mario.

Mario's heart leapt into his throat as he scrambled backward in the direction of the path, setting off at a sprint. He could hear Fox's ragged breathing from behind him as Mario ran down the path as fast as he could, heart pounding against his ribcage. Fox was a runner, he was fast, he could catch Mario...

Mario burst out into the bright sunlight, running hard in the direction of the gardens, the slop place, the watch tower... He could see people standing around, and the distant shouts of them. Mario thought he saw Kirby -

"HELP!" Mario screamed, nearly falling before regaining his balance. "HELP!"

He saw the distant Smashers stop moving, and Mario heard Kirby's voice. "WHAT?"

"HE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!" Mario screeched, and right as he yelled, Fox rammed into his back, slamming him to the ground.

Mario turned over onto his back, trying to push Fox off, but he couldn't, the other boy was too strong - he saw the silver glint of a knife in the air, come swinging toward his face -

Mario felt the sharp sting of the knife scrape along his cheek, and grabbed Fox's arm to keep him from swiping again. He could hear the yells of Smashers closer to him and Fox, but Mario wasn't worried about them, he was worried about the knife growing closer and closer to his neck -

Suddenly, Mario heard the sharp thud of metal against flesh, and Fox's weight lift from Mario's chest. Fox was standing up shakily, Mario saw, and Link was lunging at the runner with a shovel, throwing Fox off his feet again with the blow. Mario felt a pair of hands grab him, Kirby's hands, dragging him away from the two fighting boys.

Link had discarded the shovel and was grappling with Fox, as Mario saw Bowser and Snake wrench Fox away from behind, slamming the boy to the ground. Mario stood, leaning heavily on Kirby as the group of Smashers congregated around the squirming Fox, Link and Bowser holding his arms and legs down.

The group fell into silence as Snake ripped Fox's shirt upwards, revealing a blackened network of veins, dead-looking, blood streaking the boy's torso. Fox's eyes were bloodshot and rolling in their sockets, blood dripping from his mouth.

Snake was silent for a moment, before he spoke, his voice shaking.

"He's been Taken."

* * *

 **Long long chapter, but it was really fun to write. Things are gonna pick up from now on, I can tell you that... Snake and Link are pretty badass, if I do say so myself :D Anyway, R &R! ~ALBS**

 **NOTE: -getting Taken... basically, you don't die from a Floow attack. So, you get bitten/scratched by them, but it causes nasty stuff to happen to your body/going insane, and you die unless you get a serum from good old Luigi (who gets the stuff from the Box). Reason why I'm saying it now is that it doesn't come up anywhere else, kinda :P However, Fox tried to kill someone, so getting a cure won't really matter anymore :/**

 **Reviews:** **x-Lady Nova-x : Yay! I'm glad you like this story so far. Thanks for pointing out those writing tips on the chapter(s) before!**

 **Guest: Ok! I'm not planning for Zelda to 'brawl' exactly, or if there will even be a Sheik, but she's definitely going to be in some major plot points later.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys! Chapter 4 is up, and a new character is going to arrive! I love writing this fanfic, and I hope people like reading it too! Thanks to people for reviewing and such - keep doing it! :D I haven't got much to say, so let me know about any errors that show up, and R &R!**

* * *

It seemed as if the entire Sanctuary was sent into a long, eerie silence as Snake said those words - even Fox seemed to stop panting and struggling against Bowser and Link. Mario heard Kirby gasp quietly from next to him, and a few other murmurs rise up in the crowd of Smashers.

"... Bring him to the Med-Tent." Luigi's voice broke the long silence, and many other Smasher's nodded in agreement, until Ike, one of the Sharpeners, Mario remembered, shouted,

"Banish him! He deserves to die!"

It was as if Ike's words were the breaking point, and the group of boys exploded into shouts of agreement, yet some were of dismay or disgust. There was the sudden squawk of a chicken as well - Ganondorf nearly lost his grip on the struggling animal, adding to the din. Mario looked down at Kirby, whose mouth had dropped open in surprise at the uproar.

"Has this happened before?" Mario asked Kirby, bringing a hand up the the bleeding scratch on his face, stinging from the contact. Kirby only nodded slightly, continuing to now stare at the struggling Fox, who was spitting and cursing. Over the din that had erupted, Snake stood abruptly, his eyes flashing with anger.

"SILENCE!"

The leader's voice rang out over the chaos, and quickly as it started, the Smashers grew silent again. Snake brought his hands to his head, before letting out a deep breath.

"Link, Bowser, get Fox to the Med-Tent with Luigi. I'll meet you there. All the rest of you, get back to work - gotta do your part around here." Snake's gaze seemed to scan the small crowd, before people started to leave in small groups, except for Kirby and Mario, who lingered. Fox was getting almost dragged in the direction of the Med-Tent by Bowser and Link, while Luigi hovered around them anxiously. Snake turned to Mario suddenly; Mario felt as if Snake's gaze seared right through him, blazing and stony. "Are you okay, Mario?"

"Uh, I guess..."

"Your face is bleeding - we should get you to Luigi as well. Kirby, you don't have to hang around." Snake said curtly, and Kirby only nodded slightly, waving to Mario before walking away in the direction of the gardens.

Snake beckoned to Mario, leading him the direction of the Med-Tent, a small wooden building under the shade of a large, overhanging tree. When the two entered, Mario saw Luigi tying down the spitting and squirming Fox with a thick rope on a cot, while Link and Bowser stood in the corner of the room. Bowser was standing closer to Fox, arms crossed with a deep frown on his face, while Link stood in shadow, his left hand up to his mouth, eyebrows furrowed.

"He may go through the Turning any moment." Luigi panted as he knotted the last cord around the struggling Fox's legs. "All we can do is wait -"

"Forget waiting, we need to banish the son of a bitch -" Bowser snarled, before Link's clear, steady voice overpowered the Builder's.

"He's still a human being, Bowser." Bowser took a deep inhale of breath, whipping around to face Link.

"Yeah, with no damn mind, you gimp -"

Mario frowned, and stepped in front of Snake, who had been standing in front of him. "Hey! Leave him alone, what has he done to you, besides being a good second-in-command?" Mario retorted. Bowser was being unnecessarily rude - Mario could tell that Bowser's insult had shocked Link, as the blond had stiffened.

Bowser only sniffed with disdain, before sneering, "And what are you gonna do about it?"

Mario clenched his fist, considering throwing a well-placed punch at Bowser's face, until Snake gently nudged him aside.

"All of you, drop it. Luigi, I'm assuming you want to get Mario's scratch taken care of?"

"Oh. Right. Mario, d'you wanna sit down...?" Luigi said hesitantly, gestured at a stool next to an empty cot, which Mario took. Mario looked over at Link and Bowser, who were still glaring daggers at each other (Bowser had turned his full attention to Link now), while Snake was staring at Fox, who now looked like he was foaming at the mouth.

Luigi had a towel and some bandages in his hands as he stepped up to Mario, beginning to dab at the wound with the towel. "It isn't deep, as long as you don't touch it too much, you'll be fine. Last thing you need is an infection..." Luigi suddenly applied more pressure to Mario's cheek, making him flinch.

Suddenly, a distraction that appeared in the form of Zelda bursting through the door, cheeks rosy and slightly panting. Everyone looked up at her, who looked slightly surprised at the large group in the Med-Tent.

"Have I missed anything? I didn't hear anything about... Fox, until Ike told me." she said quietly, her eyes flitting to the snarling Fox, who began choking on his own spit. Snake used his sleeve to wipe Fox's foaming mouth, before wiping it on his pants, a disgusted look on his face.

There was a silence after that, before Link spoke, his tone clipped.

"No."

"Were you hurt?" Zelda asked, and Mario noticed Link move his henley's sleeve down his arm, as if to hide a scratch or wound. No one seemed to notice this slight movement, but Mario assumed that Fox had caught Link with the knife. Bowser seemed to mutter something under his breath, while Snake continued to stare down at Fox. Luigi resumed dressing Mario's wound, wiping it with the gauze now.

" _No_." Link said, his accent seeming to grow stronger as he spoke.

"I was only asking." Zelda replied; her voice had gone cold as well, and turned away from Link. She stepped toward the cot where Fox was tied, taking a breath. "So he was -"

"Yes." Snake said, as Zelda huffed suddenly.

"What's wrong with boys and one word answers?" she said, turning to Snake, lips pursed. Luigi looked back at Zelda, his hand dropping to his side.

"Everyone's on edge, Zelda. We're talking about banishing him." Luigi calmly said, before standing up straight, patting Mario's shoulder, "You're good. Just don't touch your face much - keep it clean. And I'll - I'll go." Luigi set his things on the cot next to Mario, before quickly leaving the Med-Tent, shutting the wood door with a clack. More silence filled the room, until Snake spoke.

"Fox attacked Mario. Smashers never attack other Smashers - and - he's been Taken."

"He could go through the Turning." Link said, leaning against the post behind him, crossing his arms.

"Most people who turn end up dead. We don't need any more in the Dark Glade." Bowser said, turning back to Link.

"So we send them to their deaths?"

"Link, I know you're usually a pacifist, but the only way out for him would be banishment. He's broken rules - rules you and I made." Snake said, with a confident, leaderlike voice, "It's set. We'll do it at sundown, when the rest of the Runners get back. Sonic will want to know that it's one of his. Bowser, help me inform the Group Leaders of this. Link, watch over Fox. Mario, Zelda, I suggest you two get an early dinner." And with that, Snake strode out of the Med-Tent, Bowser following closely behind. There was a long silence, before Mario stood from his stool. Zelda and Link were in standoff against each other, staring intently at the other. Mario could almost see sparks flying between them. _Why are they so irritated by each other, anyway?_

Mario began to slide by Zelda, get out of the Med-Tent for some privacy, until he saw Fox's hand wiggle loose of the tightly-bound rope, flashing out toward Zelda's wrist. Mario's heart leapt into his throat as he saw Fox's eyes train on Zelda, who still hadn't noticed the movement.

"Watch it!" Mario yanked Zelda aside as she gasped, stumbling into him as Fox began to incoherently spit out a string of curses, struggling harder against his bonds, free hand whipping through the air.

Link ran forward, slamming the Runner's hand into the side of the cot, grabbing the loose rope with one hand as he pushed the cursing Fox down, tying the free hand to his side. Zelda continued to grip tightly on Mario's arm as Fox turned his head in the direction of Mario. The boy's bloodshot eyes widened, and a cracked, shaky voice escaped his lips.

"Y- yo- you...!"

"I suggest you two leave," Link grunted, tying the last knot to the rope, before turning around once Fox was secured. His blond hair was falling over his eyes, looking windswept and frazzled at the same time. "I'll be fine with him."

Mario only nodded, and led Zelda out of the Med-Tent, leaving Link alone with Fox. The two walked in silence in the direction of the slop place, before Mario decided to attempt to make small talk.

"Uh... Link was actually hurt, I think." Zelda looked up at Mario sharply, hair whipping around her shoulder.

"Why didn't he say anything?"

"Oh, uh, it didn't look bad. Probably nothing."

"It's always nothing with him."

Mario didn't know how to respond to that vague statement, and decided to quickly change the subject. "So... Snake's a pretty good guy I guess, right?"

Zelda shrugged, letting go of Mario's arm. "He's fair, but strict. I think he's just a softy at heart, really. No better leader, I think."

"What about Bowser?" Mario thought it was probably worth hearing other people's opinions about others, as Zelda seemed pretty levelheaded. _She must be, she's like, one of the only girls here, for god's sake._ Mario thought as Zelda opened her mouth to answer.

"...I never liked him. Always butts heads with everyone. Really, he just wants to be leader if anything happened to Snake, or... Link." Zelda said, her tone flat, "No one likes him, too much of a bully."

"I agree."

Zelda laughed slightly. "He especially hates you." Mario only shrugged in response, to which Zelda shoved him slightly, "Relax, just don't rile Bowser up anymore. At this rate, you may have a feud to rival Ganondorf and Link."

"They have a feud?"

And with that, Zelda began to tell Mario the massive story about a newbie Ganondorf getting up in Link's face (about two years ago, Zelda said), the two constantly getting into fights to the point where Snake threatened ejecting Link from his position, pranking each other...

Mario's mind began to slip as they got in line for hastily-made food by Captain, yet Zelda continued to talk. Link was nice enough, but Mario practically knew nothing true about him - Link kept to himself. He barely talked to Snake, who seemed too busy for a newbie like him, and Bowser seemed intent on getting Mario riled up. Only Kirby was someone he could openly talk to...

 _Yeah, except for the fact that Fox talked to you while you didn't tell anyone, and that weird dream..._ Mario thought as he was handed a bowl of stew from one of Captain's helpers, 'Villager', everyone called him. Zelda led him to a spot in the grass, where a few others sat - Ike, the boy who had spoken out earlier, and Robin, a quiet, soft-spoken boy.

"So, Mario, you okay?" Ike said as him and Zelda sat, "Heard you got roughed up by that crazy..."

"Poor Fox." Robin remarked, swirling his spoon in his bowl. "He was a good guy."

"Well... Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Mario answered Ike's question, who suddenly turned his attention to Zelda. Mario noticed that while Ike leaned closer to Zelda, Zelda almost sat back.

"So, Zelda... did my news help you out?" he said, while Zelda calmly replied,

"Yes, thanks, Ike." Ike looked very satisfied by this somehow, and went back to eating his stew. Mario saw Kirby walking from the food line, and quickly beckoned the younger boy over, who looked happy at this invitation.

"Hey Kirby."

"Hi." Kirby replied to Mario, sitting next to him and digging into his stew rapidly. "So - I heard -" Kirby began through bites of soup, "-that something's gonna happen?" the boy finished thickly, and Mario shot a sideways glance at Zelda, who seemed to almost shake her head.

Mario swallowed, and took a spoonful of stew before responding, "Yeah. You'll... see." he finished cautiously, as Ike and Robin had both looked up curiously. Just then, a group of people walked by their small group - Runners, Mario saw.

Sonic, the most lithe and small of the group, had a grim look on his face, while the others behind him had confused looks on their face. Zelda suddenly stood, and began walking toward Samus, who was untying her ponytail, her face set.

"Samus." Zelda spoke, and Samus turned to her, before being led away by Zelda, who was murmuring rapidly. One of the runners, Marth, crouched next to Ike and Robin, still breathing heavily, no doubt from running Subspace the whole day.

"What's going on?" Marth asked as Meta, another runner, stepped behind him, "Why did Captain set up so early?"

Mario opened his mouth to answer, until a torn, ragged scream of fury cut through the muddled conversations around the slop places, sending the Smashers into silence.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I CAN CHANGE! I CAN CHANGE!"

Nearly everyone in the vicinity of Mario turned to see who had screamed, and saw Link, with his heavy limp, dragging the resisting Fox in the direction of the Gate. Mario stood as he saw the awkward duo walking toward the Gate, as did the rest of group around him.

"Oh my..." Marth murmured, "Fox..."

Mario saw Snake, Bowser, Captain, Ganondorf, Wolf, and Sonic walking in a group, all holding long, sinister-looking spears. The Smashers, in small groups, began to follow in the direction of the Gate - Mario joined them, walking side by side with Kirby, whose eyes were wide with what looked like fear. It was like some twisted procession, Mario thought, as they all walked to the Gate, tall and unwelcoming. Fox continued to scream, the sound sending chills down Mario's spine.

When the group reached the Gate, Mario and Kirby ended up near the front, watching Link roughly throw Fox to the ground, near the very entrance to Subspace. The second-in-command's face was impassive and gaunt when he turned back from Fox. Snake handed Link a spear as well, and the Group Leaders, Mario realized, spread out into a semicircle, giving Fox no escape back into the Sanctuary. The ex-Runner's face was livid, face bloodied, eyes red and swollen, mouth foaming.

"Fox," Snake began, his voice unbelievably steady, "You can't come back here. You're beyond saving -"

"I CAN CHANGE, I TELL YOU! IT'S HIM!" Fox screamed, flailing on the ground, pointing a shaky finger at Mario. Mario's heart stopped, and he looked down to his feet. "HE'S GOING TO KILL US!" Mario could see Kirby turn to him out of the corner of his eye, and felt the boy's chubby hand grasp his arm tightly. He could tell that others were glancing at him, but they turned their attention back to the crazed boy.

There was a sudden shudder, that Mario could feel though the ground, as slowly, yet surely, the Gate began to close. As if that was the cue, the Group Leaders began to back Fox farther and farther into the closing gap, spear tips pointing towards the boy. Fox was a mess now - he had started to scream incoherently, getting backed into the closing gap.

The Group Leaders had begun to be more aggressive with their spears, until, in a final, heart-stopping moment, Fox ran away, away from the Sanctuary, making it to the wide, open area that marked the beginning of Subspace. The gap had almost closed, until Fox let out a final, heart-breaking wail as the Group Leaders retracted their spears from the narrow gap.

In an instant, Fox's scream was drowned out by the loud crash of stone against stone, Mario seeing Fox's livid face one final time before the Gate closed, leaving the Smashers in a stunned silence. It was as if the effect of the banishment, hadn't gotten to anyone but the Leaders - Mario saw Sonic shove his spear into Snake's hands, before stalking away, green eyes flashing. The rest of the Runners followed their Group Leader - Samus looked particularly shaken, leaning against Marth, whose face was white.

One by one, everyone filtered out of the Gate area, all leaving in small clusters. Mario and Kirby both turned away, not saying a word. Mario felt shell-shocked - Fox was literally sent to his death. By teenagers.

He looked down at Kirby, who looked very grim.

"Are you okay?" Mario asked softly, and Kirby only nodded slightly.

"... I've never seen that before." The boy responded, and Mario looked up at the purplish-navy sky. Night was falling fast, and there was a slight breeze now. "I think - I think I'm gonna go to the bathhouse - wash off and stuff..." Kirby murmured.

The younger boy was obviously shocked at what just happened, and began to go the direction of the sleeping areas, where the showers were, until suddenly, there was a loud crash. A metal crash.

Both Mario and Kirby jumped, instinctively looking back at the Gate. There was no one there now; but the two saw the few Group Leaders there, running, in the direction of -

"The Box?" Kirby whispered, looking up at Mario, "Why the Box?"

"I don't know. Let's check it out." Mario began leading Kirby to where other Smashers were going, likely with the same idea as Mario. It didn't take long to get to the box, which - to Mario's surprise, was up, the top closed.

The Smashers began to mull around, confused murmurs rising up in the group as Link and Snake shoved through the crowd, their faces unreadable.

"Why is it up? Kirby, I thought you said -" Mario began, before Kirby cut him off.

"I thought I was right." The younger boy said as Snake squeezed by him, followed by Link.

"Bloody he -" Link began, until the screeching of the Box door cut him off, opening up almost excruciatingly slow. When it finally opened all the way, the Smashers fell into silence.

There was a lot of supplies, stockpiled in the corners, but in the very middle of the box, lay a girl.

Her blond hair fell over her face, petite, slender body curled up into a ball. She looked dead to Mario.

"Shit." Mario heard Snake mutter, as Link pushed aside the leader and dropped into the box with a thud. This gave Mario and Kirby a chance to move up to the very front, as they watched Link cautiously near the girl in the fading light.

"There's a note." Link said, bending down to pick up what looked like a small piece of paper. A long, eerie silence hung over the Smashers as Link opened the paper, reading what was on it. The boy's face blanched, and he dropped the paper.

"What does it say?" Rob, one of the Builders asked hesitantly. Link looked up, his blue eyes blazing.

 _"She's the last one. Ever."_ He whispered, but it seemed as if everyone could hear. The only sound was the wind now, as the Smashers fell into a stunned silence. Mario could almost hear his blood pounding in his ears.

"Is she dead?" Mario heard Bowser say, the boy's voice trembling. Link shrugged, and went to touch the girl's arm, until suddenly, the girl gasped, making Link stumble backward, falling. The Smashers began to move around, looking at the girl who was now staring upwards, her pale blue eyes wide.

"Oh my god..." Snake murmured, and the girl, trembling, said one word, one that made Mario's heart stop.

"Mario."

* * *

 **It's the 'mystery' girl! I'm pretty sure you can assume who she is, but I'll wait till the next chapter... or the one after that. Anyway, R &R! ~ALBS**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hola! So, chapter 5 is here! I hope the people who are reading this are enjoying so far - just review, favorite, e.t.c please! Anyway, this is less action-packed and more explaining and 'getting to know people' chapter... it's definitely not lacking though! So, let me know it there are any errors and things, and R &R please!**

 **Rated T for teen**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

A hushed silence swept through the Sanctuary as the girl took a shuddering breath, before her head fell back to the metal floor of the Box as she went limp. Link stared down at her, before looking up at Mario, who felt frozen to the ground.

She knew his name.

How the hell did she know his name?

Mario could feel everyone's eyes on him, as every Smasher turned their head in the direction of Mario. He looked down at Kirby, who kept looking back between him and the unconscious girl. The younger boy's eyes were as large as saucers, mouth open slightly in shock.

"... I... I don't know her, I swear!" Mario stammered, trying to search through his blank mind, if he recognized this girl, anything at all about her, "I don't know why the _hell_ she knows my name...!" he drew up nothing about this girl, this girl who was laying unconscious in the Box, golden hair fanning out around her head like some kind of halo...

"Bullshit!" Mario felt a pair of rough hands grab the back of his sweatshirt, and was whirled around so he was nose-to-nose with Bowser, whose eyes were bright with fury. There was an uproar, and many shouts of protest from the other boys. "You're lying, you little fucker -" the boy spat in Mario's face, who flinched.

"Leave him alone!" Mario heard Zelda yell through his now ringing ears, and many began shouting with her. None of the Smashers seemed alright with standing up to Bowser, much less when he was nearing violent tendencies.

"Shut up!" Bowser yelled back at Zelda, before roughly shaking Mario, who squirmed in the larger boy's grasp. Mario could tell that Bowser could lash out at any moment, and began to get increasingly nervous as he struggled some more. He could feel Bowser's hands tighten around his sweatshirt collar, nearly lifting him off the ground.

"Stop this right now, Bowser! I bet that Mario is telling the bloody truth here!" Link scolded from somewhere behind Mario, who began to move more in Bowser's strong grip. Bowser only snarled something incoherent at Link, looking ready to kill.

"Bowser, stop. Surely you don't want to end up where Fox is, eh?" Snake stepped up to Bowser, his eyes dark with authority and anger. The Builder's eyes flashed from anger to panic to fear, before letting go of Mario, who backed away as best he could, staggering. He stood up straighter as he talked back to the other boy - Bowser didn't need to see him scared.

"I'm telling the truth, here! I have no damn idea who this girl is -" Mario began, until Bowser cut him off.

"Everything's gone weird ever since you showed up, y'know!" Bowser exclaimed, his face almost matching his reddish hair.

"Bowser!" Snake exclaimed, a sharp bite to his voice now. The other teens had begun to form a circle around Mario, Bowser, and Snake, who stepped forward, pointing a finger up in Bowser's face. "D'you want to spend a dirt-ridden month in the Pit? 'Cause I can definitely help you with that." At that statement, Bowser grew silent, looking down at the ground. Another silence took over the teens, who all began to look around nervously at each other. Snake scanned the crowd of Smashers, as if he was waiting for anyone to challenge him, before speaking.

"Some of you should get that girl to the Med-Tent. Other than that, all of you shove off." There was a murmur of agreement, before the crowd began to break up, most walking back to the sleeping quarters. Mario backed away to stand next to Kirby, then set off at a walk in the direction of the quarters, not before turning around to see Captain and Ganondorf getting the limp girl out of the Box, as well as unloading the boxes of supplies. Snake was talking to Sonic, whose arms were crossed and was tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, it looked like.

Night was falling relatively fast, before Mario felt a drop of water land on his nose as he and Kirby walked back. Kirby looked up at the dark sky, holding out a hand.

"It's raining." the moment the boy spoke, many more rain droplets fell onto Mario's head, making him pick up his walking pace to the Resting-home. Just as Kirby and Mario made it to the large, overhanging roof of the quarters, the rain began to come down harder. Boys were already getting into their hammocks, while a few lit some small torches to give the sleeping quarters some light. The others seemed to be avoiding looking at Mario.

Mario sat down in his hammock, while Kirby climbed into his, leaning against the post it was hung. They stared out into the dark Sanctuary as the rain pounded down; a few minutes later, the boys who had helped unload the Box came back, all looking soaked to the bone. Sonic stormed past Mario near the back of the sleeping quarters, where long-time Smasher's slept, as Snake stepped forward into the light of one of the torches.

"No running tomorrow in Subspace. Everyone stays in the Sanctuary." he said, eyes narrowed. Mario heard a small 'What?' from Marth behind him, before Snake walked away, likely to his own separate room. Link and Captain retreated as well - Captain to the back of the quarters, Link in the same direction as Snake. There was a sudden murmuring that spread through the maze of hammocks, before Captain's voice echoed through the sleeping quarters.

"You tier-scums get some sleep!"

The murmuring suddenly ceased as one of the torches went out, likely stifled by one of the Smashers. Mario fell back completely on his hammock, and heard the rustling of Kirby settling into his.

Mario had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach as he rolled over in his hammock, staring out into the pitch black of the Sanctuary. The rain on the wood roof was a unsettling lullaby that mixed with the almost crystal-clear screams of the Floows.

* * *

The next morning's tension was so thick even one of Wolf's sharpest knives wouldn't have cut it. Captain was very quiet as he gave out food to the Smashers, not starting conversations like he usually did. The runners all looked disgruntled, almost out of place as they awkwardly stood in line for food - when they ran Subspace, they took in food, never coming back to the Sanctuary until the Gates were about to close.

Mario and Kirby were standing behind Zelda for food, who was talking quietly to Samus, who wasn't responding much to Zelda's efforts to talk. Zelda looked as if she hadn't slept all night - the shadows under her eyes were more visible then they usually were. Maybe she had been watching over that new girl the whole night.

Apparently, the girl hadn't woken up yet, according to Luigi, who stopped by Mario and Kirby as they were eating.

"She's still sleeping," Luigi began, rubbing his face with his hands, "I have no clue when she's gonna wake up, or when she's gonna tell us how she... knows your name." Luigi slowly finished, sitting next to Kirby.

"Well, I don't know her. I can tell you that." Mario stated strongly to the healer, who only nodded.

"I believe you, Mario. Really. Don't listen to what Bowser says, how this is your fault somehow. He's always got a stick up his butt." Luigi smiled at Mario, who grinned back. He liked the healer - _Luigi is a good guy_ , Mario thought as Luigi walked away in the direction of Snake. He was likely going to tell Snake what he just told Mario.

Kirby sighed deeply as he rested his chin in his hands, lazily looking at the rest of the Smashers from his and Mario's spot on a fallen tree. "I wonder if we can all take the day off today. That would be nice."

"For some reason, I highly doubt it." Mario mumbled, fiddling with a blade of grass, "There's apparently too much stuff to do around here."

Kirby looked at Mario, a slight smile on his face. "You've only been here a few days. After a while, you'll see there isn't that much to do..." the younger boy faded off, leaning back on his hands.

"Right."

The duo soon began to walk languidly around the Sanctuary, as no one seemed to be doing anything, in fact. It was as if everyone was taking an uncomfortable day off, which Kirby said, 'We never do.'. So they began to talk.

As it turned out, it seemed the Smashers were gossipers, Mario realized.

It made sense, really - a whole bunch of boys thrown together with no memory would no doubt have some rumors popping up every once in a while. And by once in a while, Kirby meant nearly everyday, apparently.

"I've heard that Ganondorf is actually like, really good at making sweets and things. At least, sweets that Smashers can make."

"So he has a hidden talent, then?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that, but he's like... apparently good at it."

"But no one has seen him do it. That's why they're called rumors, Kirby -"

"I didn't mean that, it could've happened. And, supposedly, Snake is good at cooking too, but that's questionable." Kirby finished, before gasping suddenly, to which Mario jumped in surprise.

"What?"

"I haven't told you yet! Like, the biggest rumor ever!"

 _Of course, just more gossip._ Mario thought, rolling his eyes, yet decided to listen intently to the younger boy. Kirby somehow looked very excited, to which Mario felt a slight tinge of unease, but he didn't know why.

"Okay..." Kirby looked satisfied that Mario seemed intrigued, before launching into the rumor.

"So... you know Link?"

"I'm pretty sure I know who he is. Second-in-command, tall, 'pretty boy'; anyway?" Mario replied in a mocking way, before Kirby continued.

"And Zelda? Well," Kirby suddenly lowered his voice as Meta and Marth walked by, and didn't speak until they passed the two completely, "I've heard that, they like, see each other."

"They do see each other everyday, I'm pretty sure."

"Stop acting like an idiot, Mario!" Kirby burst out, before continuing in a low voice, "No, I mean like, they hug. And kiss. And stuff."

Mario raised an eyebrow at the younger boy. "Has anyone ever _seen_ them doing this? As far as I can tell, they argue."

"Well, like," Kirby shrugged before continuing, "Link's, y'know, second-in-command, he does a lot of stuff, and he's always stressed out too. And it's kinda an unspoken rule that, because there's girls, none of the guys can have a relationship with them. Because it would... mess things up."

"You're saying Link broke a rule."

"Well, it's... just a rumor." Kirby said, quickly changing the subject. "We're all like, teenagers, so... yeah." the younger boy finished with the lame ending, to which Mario shrugged. It definitely seemed plausible, what Kirby just said, but Mario decided to take it with a grain of salt. Imagining Ganondorf cooking and baking definitely made him doubt Kirby's sources.

The two continued to walk through the long grass, still damp from the downpour the night before. Mario looked up at the dark, cloudy sky that revealed no sun; it seemed to reflect all of the Smashers' moods that day. He looked back down again, watching smudges of water form on his lower pant-legs as he walked. Before Mario could realize what happened, Sonic was walking with them, and instantly started chatting with Kirby.

"Hey Kirby, what's up?" the boy said, making Mario fall out of his stupor. Sonic was a shorter, skinny boy, but Mario could tell that, under his long sleeve shirt, there was still the bulk of muscle on Sonic's arms. The boy's hair looked as if it had been impeccably styled, even more than Link's effortless look - it looked almost blue in the dull light of day.

"Not much. You?"

"Same here kiddo - I don't have to do anything today." Sonic winked, before looking at Mario, "'Sup, newbie." he held out his hand for Mario to shake. "I'm Sonic, if you didn't know already." Mario took his hand over Kirby's head, and replied.

"... Mario."

Sonic grinned, letting go of Mario's hand. "Heard all about you. From Snake and Link, obviously. However, I'm surprised you haven't talked to me yet... if you haven't realized, I am the coolest Smasher here." Sonic joked, running a hand through his hair, "Don't get in my way though, 'cause I'll just run you over with my super speed." the boy winked again, making a clicking noise with his tongue. Mario smiled back. From first impressions, Mario liked Sonic - playful and almost carefree.

"How was running yesterday, Sonic?" Kirby asked, and Mario perked up his ears. He wanted to hear this...

Sonic sighed, smiling slightly. "Well, I ran... I ran... and ran some more. Sector 8 was open yesterday, gave me hell, but I mapped some relatively new outside parts... Didn't meet one Floow though." Sonic frowned as he said that. "They rarely come out. Except for... Fox." The boy fell into silence, before quickly perking up again. "I'm the Leader of the Runners, by the by. And -" Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his face, "Look there, drama in romance-land."

Mario looked where Sonic had gestured, and saw Link limping fast across the field, Zelda trailing after him. Every once in a while, Link would look back at Zelda, and Mario could hear snippets of conversation from their distance from the two.

"... you... no!"

"Please... c'mon...!"

Zelda looked at the trio walking toward them, and began to stalk toward them, her face set.

"Sonic! Perfect!"

"Take me wherever you want, Zellie-Bellie -" Sonic teased, before Zelda grabbed the collar of his shirt, practically dragging him the direction of Link, who had stopped walking. Kirby and Mario followed Zelda and the flustered Sonic, comically getting pulled to Link.

"Tell him, Sonic! I can be one of them, I'm strong enough!" Zelda spat, her face glowing. Link stared sternly back at her, his eyes sharp like flint.

"What the dirt are you going on about, Zel -" Sonic sputtered, before Link cut him off.

"What? Sonic, what is this?" Link said, eyes narrowing. Sonic forced Zelda off, smoothing his hair down.

"Well..."

"Yes?"

"So, Zelda asked me to do some running trials with her, and -"

"You _what_?!"

"Dude, and, she's great! I mean, I know you and Snake have to validate it, but -"

"No."

"I wasn't saying I'd back her up, Link, I'm just -"

 _"Sonic!"_ Zelda scolded the runner, who shrunk back. Mario and Kirby kept looked back and forth between the three, whose argument was intensifying. "Link, I can become a runner, please! I'm strong enough, I won't get hurt, I swear -"

"I can't let you!" Link said heatedly, as Kirby let out a small 'Oh' of realization. "And Snake would agree with me, it's dangerous -"

"Are you saying that for the both of you, or just yourself?" Zelda shot Sonic a withering look just as he was about to speak, and the runner backed off, "Samus is one, so why can't I?" Zelda continued.

"I -" Link began, before quieting. Sonic replaced the second-in-command, calmly putting up his hands.

"Look, Zellie, he just doesn't want you getting hurt, or killed, or something, y'know?" Mario looked down at Kirby, who shrugged back in response. Zelda sighed, shaking her head.

"... I'll just... bring it up again when you're not occupied, okay?" Zelda said, sending Link a cold look before walking away towards the sleeping quarters. As soon as she got out of earshot, Link cursed, running a hand through his hair.

"Don't stress yourself out, man."

"Well, she's been asking and asking for the past... what? Month? I know she's asked Snake, who never responds, so she just goes after me..."

"Then ignore her." Kirby chirped, as Link sighed.

"She'll just do it more."

"Then let her be a runner?" Mario suggested, while deep inside, he thought that the idea seemed smart enough. As far as he could tell, Zelda was fit, fit enough to be a runner... even though Mario had no idea what running was like. Sonic seemed to shrug at his suggestion, blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

"Link, you and Snake are as busy as it is. Just chill for once." he reprimanded, as the group began walking to the lookout tower.

Link sent Sonic a look to match Zelda's, who instantly looked away, a look of mild fear on his face. Kirby snorted with restrained laughter, while Mario only smiled lightly. Abruptly, Sonic slung his arm around Mario, and began to steer him away from Link, as Kirby followed.

"Okay, we'll leave the drama queen be..." Sonic called back to Link, who frowned back at the runner disapprovingly, leaning against the ladder of the tower. Mario saw Luigi exit the Med-Tent from a ways away, and he called to the boy.

"Has the girl woken up yet?"

Luigi only responded with a shake of his head, and kept walking, disappearing behind a cluster of trees near the Med-Tent. Sonic looked at Mario, raising an eyebrow.

"Worried about girlie?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in an almost impatient manner. Mario only shrugged in response.

"I don't know. She just... said my name."

"You shouldn't worry, I think. I'm sure everything will turn out okay." Kirby quipped, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sonic nodded, seeming to agree silently with the younger boy. The runner then looked up, and began to walk at a quicker pace than Mario and Kirby.

"So, I'll catch up with you two later. I gotta talk to my runners." Sonic raised a hand to the two, before setting off at a jog toward the sleeping quarters. Mario stopped walking, and Kirby as well, the two looking around the Sanctuary. It was an odd peace, a cool and cloudy day; Smashers doing what Smashers did. Mario bit his lip, hand coming up unconsciously to the long scratch on his cheek. It felt better than it had the day before.

"I'm going to go the Med-Tent." he said, looking at Kirby, who shrugged.

"Okay. I'll come with you then."

The two made their way to the small building, Mario pushing aside the cloth that was the makeshift door. There was no one inside, only the unconscious girl, laying on one of the cots. Mario walked to the bedside, looking down at the girl. She was breathing steadily, yet she wasn't dreaming, Mario could tell - her eyes weren't moving under her eyelids. Her bright blond hair fell down over her shoulders, tangled and mussed. She was pretty, Mario thought, but he couldn't place her face. He had no idea why she would know him, of all people.

"How long d'you think she'll be like this?" Kirby asked, sitting down on the cot next to the girl's. Mario shrugged, sitting next to him. There was another silence, before Kirby spoke. "The Box didn't go down last night."

"Really?" Mario turned to the boy, whose eyebrows were furrowed in what looked like concern.

"Yeah. I think..."

"What?"

"...That's what that note meant. 'She's the last'... that means the Box won't go down anymore. We won't get supplies anymore." Kirby's voice was trembling slightly. Mario put a hand around the boy shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"We're not gonna die here, if that's what you're suggesting. We're gonna get out, I can feel it."

Kirby smiled at Mario, who smiled back, but couldn't help but feel a small once of doubt as he looked back at the sleeping girl, whose mouth had turned into a slight frown.

* * *

 **More drama and conflict :D So, let me know how this chapter felt, and R &R ! ~ALBS**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry guys, I've been gone for so long! Anyway, Chapter 6 is here, and it's been a chapter that I'm really excited about. I hope all of you are enjoying this fanfic - keep reviewing, liking, following please! Anyway, let me know about any weird errors you may find, and R &R!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all, really.**

 **Rated T for teens**

* * *

The rest of Mario's day was rather uneventful - the most boring day that Mario could remember (his memory only went back a couple days, but it was still more boring than anything else he had experienced in those few days). It was as if nobody seemed in the mood to do genuine work, which resulted in a much more rowdy dinner in the evening. Sonic kept pulling pranks, Captain had been handing out his 'special drink', which made a few people significantly tipsy; Bowser had again started up more mock fights next to the newly made bonfire, and Marth had started a circle of almost all gossiping Smashers near the fire as well.

Mario stood to the side to these forming cliques, holding a drink that Captain had given to him (Mario didn't trust the cook enough to take a drink), as he stared blankly into the crackling bonfire. The flames sprung up into the night sky, sparks jumping away from the flames before fading quickly. Though he did almost nothing the whole day, Mario still felt tired. All he wanted to do was curl up into his hammock and sleep...

He considered doing just that, until Snake stepped up next to him, crossing his arms. The two stood in silence, and Mario didn't dare to look at Snake. The leader of the Smashers was actually quite intimidating - Mario understood why he was the leader, besides seniority. He was the definition of intimidation.

"You gonna drink that, newbie?" Snake said, gesturing at Mario's untouched drink. Mario shook his head, clearing himself of his thoughts, before stammering,

"Uh - ye - I mean, no. You can have it." he held out the bottle to Snake, who took it, instantly taking at swig of the drink. The older boy coughed as he finished his sip, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"The drink makes you live a little, newbie. You're gonna have to get used to it." Snake said, a playful glimmer in his eye. Mario shrugged, looking away from Snake.

"What's in it?"

"That's a secret, Mario. Captain's little secret - even I don't know." Snake chuckled, shaking the bottle slightly, "But it let's the guys - and girls," Mario quickly glanced at Samus sitting behind him, who was increasingly becoming more rowdy, while Zelda was sitting to the side, an apprehensive look on her face, "unwind a little. We're only just kids in this hell of a place." Mario turned back to the leader, whose brow was furrowed.

"So..."

"Yeah?"

"Who - who d'you think put us here? Like, we can't just have... come up from the Box randomly, right?" Mario questioned, as to which Snake nodded.

"Someone did put us here... TABUU, probably. That's the name that comes up with our boxes of supplies; plastered everywhere. Don't know what it means, though..." Snake faded off, but Mario was only consumed in his thoughts the moment Snake said TABUU. TABUU was the name in his dream a few nights ago; the dream that he still vividly remembered, the one that sent chills down his back.

Suddenly, Mario realized that he _had_ seen the mystery girl before - in his dream. Mario stared deeper into the fire, and seemed to had gotten a glazed look in his eye, as he felt Snake's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, earth to Mario, Mario."

Mario jolted out of his stupor, inhaling sharply as Snake gave him a raised-eyebrow look. "You good?"

"Yeah, just... thinking."

Snake shrugged, taking another sip of his drink before sighing. "It's always good to think. So, anyway," Snake stepped away slightly, "it's kinda late. We'll be all back to normal tomorrow though - today was... an unwinding day." he finished, before turning and walking away from Mario, leaving him in his own silence, while it was far from silent around him.

He couldn't keep awkwardly standing in front of the bonfire - he had no one to talk to, for gods sake. Mario turned around, heading in the direction of the sleeping quarters. He saw Kirby and Zelda walking ahead of him, Zelda's arm looking to be around Kirby's shoulders. Mario slightly smiled at the sight, shoving his hands into his pockets as he followed the duo into the sleeping quarters, entering just as Kirby had practically collapsed into his hammock. Zelda turned as Mario entered, and smiled slightly in the dim torchlight.

"Hey Mario."

"Hi Zelda."

Mario peeled off his sweatshirt as Zelda spoke again, leaning against the post that held up Kirby's hammock. "You already getting to bed?"

"Yeah..." Mario yawned, and Zelda giggled, smiling again.

"I think that's even more evidence."

"Hey, Mario," Mario turned his head to where Kirby's hammock was, to which he saw the inhabitant peeping out, blue eyes wide, "d'you wanna work with the Builders tomorrow? I'm sure it'd be really cool."

"As long as I don't have to go near Bowser, sure." Mario replied, and Kirby laughed.

"Yeah, we don't have to go near him."

Mario sat back in his hammock, and looked out to where the bonfire was. The Smashers seemed to be heading back to the sleeping quarters in small groups, and Zelda moved from her position near the post.

"Well, I'm going to bed too. See you guys tomorrow." she walked in between the duo's hammocks, and made her way down the makeshift hallway to the girls' room.

"Goodnight!" Kirby exclaimed after her, and Mario fell fully back in his hammock, stretching languidly as boys began trickling into the sleeping quarters. Mario saw some Smashers putting out the now-dying bonfire with what looked like buckets of water, smoke rising up into the night sky.

Mario shut his eyes tightly, blocking out the noise of boys walking past his hammock, talking in their loud voices. Soon enough, he felt sleep pull him down into dizzying relaxation.

* * *

 _"Mario."_

 _There were sudden, flashing visions passing Mario's sight, ones that seemed more sensible than his dream that past night. He was looking at a computer screen, with rapid statistics and numbers passing by. He looked up, staring into the bright blue eyes of the mystery girl opposite to him._

 _"Mario."_

 _She disappeared, then he saw the blurry figures of people standing over him, murmuring incoherent words._

 _"You must remember."_

 _Mario now heard a spine-tingling screaming from behind him, making him turn around in the odd, black limbo he was standing in. There was Fox, running toward him - he looked terrible. His veins looked black, poisoned, his usually sturdy frame almost_ _emaciated in appearance. Mario couldn't make himself move, looking in terror at the nearing ex-Smasher, and could only shut his eyes tightly as Fox lunged, the boy's scream echoing in Mario's ears._

 _As he opened his eyes, he saw the brief flash of the mystery girl behind her screen, before blackness._

 _"TABUU is good."_

* * *

Mario opened his eyes, the roof of the sleeping quarters greeting him. He felt like his hours of sleep had been compressed into minutes; no one was up, seeing how Mario could hear the steady snoring from Kirby's hammock. His dream was very weird last night - almost disturbing. Mario tried not to think about it.

He rolled over in his hammock, looking out from the sleeping quarters. The Gates were opening at the far side of the Sanctuary - there was a low, loud rumbling as the Gate was slowly opening - in the dim morning light, he could see the figures of three people. Two looked to enter Subspace, while the other simply stood, watching them go. Mario sat up sharply in his hammock, and saw Marth and Meta still in their own hammocks, sleeping.

 _Shouldn't they be running?_

Mario pulled his legs into a cross-legged position, as his hammock shook precariously, then settled. He couldn't sleep any longer, the Smashers would be getting up soon, he was sure. He rested his head against one of the posts holding up his hammock, and turned as he heard footsteps next to him. Captain was slowly walking by, but didn't seem to notice that Mario was awake, as the cook was likely going to the slop area to make some breakfast. Mario decided to speak to Captain as he walked by.

"Hey Captain."

The boy visibly jumped in surprise, before whipping around to face Mario, exhaling as he saw him. "Damn it, newbie! You scared me, man..."

Mario laughed quietly, faltering slightly as Kirby moved in his hammock, letting out a long sigh. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep any longer..." Captain shrugged, smoothing out his food-stained shirt.

"You get used to it man. Well, I gotta go, makin' some breakfast, y'know..."

"Hey, Captain?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh," Mario paused, looking past Captain in the direction of the gate, before looking back at the boy, whose eyebrows were raised, "why are, like, the runners still here? Shouldn't they be...?"

"Oh, I heard Sonic talking about it last night. Only him and Snake are going into Subspace - they're going one of those check-ups, since... Fox." Captain sighed, before continuing in a low voice, "Honestly, I don't think the runners will want to go back in for a _long_ time... maybe even Sonic too." the boy shrugged, and turned around again, waving a goodbye hand at Mario before stepping out from the sleeping quarters.

The sun was up slightly higher in the sky now as the two spoke, the light leaking into the thatched roof of the quarters as more and more Smashers began to stir in their hammocks. Mario heard Kirby yawn massively from next to him, and another yawn from some Smasher a ways away. People were beginning to wake up, and no doubt Captain would have to serve 40-some hungry teenagers in a little while.

Mario swung his legs out of his hammock, standing and stretching, arms above his head before yawning widely. He saw Link slowly walking in the direction of the slop area, and Mario started toward the second-in-command at a slight jog.

When he reached Link, the boy smiled lightly as Mario nodded in response, the two making their way to the kitchens.

"How was your night, Link?" Mario asked, and the other boy shrugged in response.

"It was fine." Mario could see slight dark circles under Link's eyes, as if the boy didn't sleep the whole night, unlike what he just said. "And you?"

"... It was good too." Mario only hesitated slightly, his dream still plaguing his thoughts, but Link seemed to notice, as his brow knit together.

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah..." Mario responded, a little too quickly, but Link only shrugged and didn't press Mario for another, much more truthful, answer. To be honest, Mario definitely did not feel the need to tell Link what his dream was - the only person that he would be comfortable talking to about it would be the mystery girl, who was in a coma. Certainly not in a position for Mario to talk to her.

"So, uh, when d'you think Snake and Sonic will be back?"

Link frowned, his default expression, before answering. "Soon enough."

Mario decided at that moment to leave the second-in-command alone, and doubled back to the sleeping quarters, making up a half-assed excuse to go back. There were more Smashers that were up now, including Kirby, who was standing in a daze in front of his hammock.

"Good morning, Kirby." the younger boy turned to Mario, yawning.

"... morning. Jeez, I hate waking up. It's the worst part of the day, in my opinion." Kirby mumbled, looking up at Mario with a deadpan facial expression. Mario only laughed slightly, slinging an arm around Kirby's shoulder, leading him to the slop area.

"Well, today's another work day, right?"

Kirby nodded, bringing a hand up to his dirty blond hair. "Yeah, everything's back to normal now."

Mario smiled, and hoped for at least one normal day in the Sanctuary.

* * *

Sonic and Snake weren't back yet.

One, Mario realized this when the sun was getting uneasily low in the sky, and two, there was a group of Smashers congregating near the Gate. Him and Kirby had been working in the gardens with Yoshi the whole day, digging out new spots for some tomato plants, until Mario stopped, dropping his garden hoe.

"What?" Kirby said through slight pants, looking up at Mario. "We gotta get back to work -"

"Snake and Sonic. I'm gonna go to the Gate, c'mon." Mario beckoned to Kirby, before briskly jogging in the direction of the Gate.

"We can't just leave -"

"C'mon!" Mario repeated, and he heard Kirby say something quietly before his heavy footsteps followed.

The group near the Gate was mulling around, all staring at the Gate entrance, dark and shadowy, vines overhanging the stone sides. Mario shoved his way to the front with Kirby, who stopped in front of Mario as they got to the front of the pack. Bowser was crouched on the ground, tracing his mouth with his hand, brow furrowed. Link was doing the exact same thing, except standing up straight, not blinking as he looked at the entrance to Subspace.

No one was speaking, until Mario slowly piped up, heart pounding. He didn't like the looks on Bowser and Link's faces.

"Shouldn't we, y'know, go look for them?"

"Either they make it, or they don't." Bowser instantly replied, his voice tense. He seemed to forget he was talking to Mario, simply looking forward. Mario turned to Link, who looked at him, cobalt eyes flashing.

"They'll make it." Link murmured quietly, then repeated, more to himself than Mario it seemed, "They have to."

Sooner than later, nearly all the Smashers had gathered at the Gate, all looking apprehensively at the vast corridor to Subspace. There was more muttering now.

Zelda had joined the front, and seemed to have grabbed Mario's arm instinctively, her fingernails digging into his forearm. She was tense. After a while, Mario spoke again, unable to hide the barb in his tone.

"C'mon guys, we can't just let them die! We gotta go in -"

"No one is going in, not while I'm still breathing, newbie." Link snapped, and as he spoke, an unsettling gust of wind blew into the Sanctuary from Subspace.

There was a loud groan of stone against stone, and the Gate slowly began to close.

The Smashers instantly began to talk uneasily among each other, and Mario saw Link put his face in his hands next to him. Bowser stood, looking down, his face impassive.

"Look! GUYS, LOOK!" Kirby's sudden shout made nearly everyone start, and Mario whipped his head upward.

There was Sonic, struggling to drag along an unconscious-looking Snake. The Gate was slowly sliding shut.

Every single Smasher began to scream at the struggling runner and the leader of the Smashers, curses and words of encouragement.

Mario's world suddenly went quiet, and he could practically hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

 _They're not going to make it._

As close as the two were, the Gate wouldn't stop. It would close, trapping the two inside Subspace. With the Floows. They would _die_.

Mario saw Sonic scream something, and Mario frantically looked in the direction of Link. The second-in-command was frozen, tense, mouth slightly open. There was only about a 10-foot gap in the Gate. Sonic wouldn't make it, even if he ditched Snake.

The next thing Mario did was incredibly stupid.

Three things happened at once - Mario shoved aside Kirby, sprinting to the closing Gate, squeezing in between the gap - he felt someone behind him, and looked forward to see Sonic's dumbfounded face - he heard Link's blood-curdling scream tear through the air as he fell into Subspace, Zelda - he realized it was her with a jolt - falling alongside him.

And, with a loud thud of stone with a grim finality, the Gate shut, the yells of the Smashers cut off as it did.

* * *

Kirby saw Link immediately sink to the ground, the older boy's face ashen in color. Bowser's hands had gone up to his hair, his face an expression of disbelief. A hushed silence fell over the Smashers as Kirby processed what had just happened.

Mario had just gone into Subspace.

Zelda went in after him.

And the Gate closed.

There was a ringing in Kirby's ears as he looked around at the group of Smashers. Samus had dissolved into tears. Ganondorf's face was horror-stricken. Marth and Meta's faces were both blank. Ike's face was frozen in horror. Everyone looked shocked.

Mario was gone. Zelda, Sonic, and Snake were gone -

 _"NO!"_ Link's shout jolted Kirby out of his shock, the second-in-command's accent even more noticeable as he screamed, _"DAMN IT, NO!"_ the boy shakily stood, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Bowser resolutely grabbed the second-in-command's shoulders, holding him steady.

"Link, c'mon, let's go, the Gate - the Gate -" the Builder stuttered, continuing to stare behind Link at the Gate, but Link wrenched himself away.

"SHE - SHE - OH GOD -!" Link brought his hands to his face, as the Smashers fell into silence. "- AND MARIO, _SHIT_!" he exclaimed heatedly, as Bowser grabbed him again.

"Stop fucking freaking out; you're our Leader now, dammit! Get a grip, pretty boy!"

Link shoved Bowser away, and Kirby saw a singular tear roll down his face. It disappeared as quickly as it came, however - Link's eyes suddenly turned steely, his mouth morphing back into straight line. He took a deep breath after a very long pause, every Smasher staring at him.

"E-everyone," Link began, running a hand through his hair, "-let's go back, I'm sure Captain can make us some stuff, right?" Captain frantically nodded, giving a slight thumbs up. "And then, we'll just... start up again tomorrow, alright?" his voice cracked ever so slightly, and many Smashers murmured in agreement, most turning around to slowly walk back to the slop area. All of their faces were solemn, some even scared. Kirby understood.

He didn't walk back with the others; not even when Link went to grab his arm - Kirby simply shrugged his hand away.

Kirby sat down on the dusty ground in front of the Gate, and waited.

* * *

Every time Mario inhaled, the air burned in his lungs. The cold air had immediately taken effect, shocking him like he had been electrocuted each time he took a gasping breath. He could barely comprehend what just happened.

But he knew that he was in Subspace.

Mario picked himself up to his feet, helping Zelda up as well, who was gasping. It was Zelda who had urged him through the closing gap - they would've been crushed if she hadn't pushed him forward.

"What the fuck?! What - _what?!_ " Sonic's voice broke the silence, his tone angry. "Were you two asking for a death wish? Throwing yourselves into this mess? I can't fucking believe it!" the runner threw his hands into the air, and Snake slumped to the ground, moaning softly. "Snake and I were pretty fucking sure we were going to die, since Snake got Taken and weighs like 200 pounds, hell to drag him back here -" Sonic ranted, as Mario and Zelda watched in silence, "But _noooo_ , you two had to hop on in and pay the price with your lives!"

"Sonic, we couldn't just leave you!" Zelda rebuked, fists clenched. "You're our friend!"

"Yeah, and you're supposed to live, dammit!"

"Guys -" Mario began, but was quickly cut off by Zelda.

"You're supposed to live too, Sonic!"

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you didn't _his_ face when you waltzed on in, it looked like his heart shattered into a million pieces - and Kirby -"

 _"Guys -"_

"I couldn't let you die! I hate standing around watching people, people who deserve their lives -"

"GUYS!" Mario yelled, his voice echoing in the massive passage they were in. The wind rustled the thick vines on the concrete walls. "Look, we can do this. We can live, I can feel it. Seriously. We just gotta - keep our heads." Mario finished, but he faltered when he heard it.

The spine-tingling, dreadful wail of a Floow, almost too close for comfort. Then another, yet it sounded like it was from a distance. Then another. And another.

The nightmares of Subspace were awake.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! I love writing emotionally loaded chapters, they're so fun! I'm really excited for the next chapter - a night in Subspace, you know. Thanks so much for people reading, reviewing, e.t.c - keep doing it y'all! Anyway, R &R! ~ALBS**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Heyo! I'm so so so so _so_ sorry for being gone for like, years! But I am back, with a super action-packed chapter! :D I hope you guys enjoy it, and please _please_ review, favorite, e.t.c. I like hearing from you guys! Anyway, let me know about any weird errors, and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything :/**

 **Rated T for teens**

* * *

Mario's breath caught in his throat as he heard the screeches. The inhuman wails of Floows. A sound that sounded like death itself.

Sonic brought his hands to his hair, slowly sinking to the ground next to the unconscious Snake. He was muttering under his breath, and from what it looked like to Mario, had lost all hope. Mario quickly turned to Zelda, whose eyes were blank, staring straight ahead into the quickly darkening corridor that led into the inner body of Subspace. Both Smashers looked in a daze, their faces both masks of disbelief.

Mario felt panic begin to bubble in his chest, like he needed to puke up the contents of his stomach before losing all hope. If Sonic was right, they would die terrible deaths. The Smashers would find their bodies at the Gate the next morning. Or never find them again.

He shook his head roughly, forcing out the panic as best he could. _No. You can't lose it. Not now._

"Guys..." Mario began, but his voice trembled, and he quickly steadied it. Sonic's head instantly snapped up to look at Mario, a snarl on his face.

"What! We're gonna die, you newbie! So just -" Mario cut across Sonic's words, more panic making it's way into his body. He couldn't have Sonic lose it now, he just couldn't -

"No! We'll make it, I swear! Maybe - maybe -"

"Maybe what?" Just as Sonic snapped back at Mario, another Floow's wail rang through the air. Those eerie wails sounded too close for comfort. Mario quickly forced down his panic again before continuing, yet his heart was still pounding rapidly in his chest.

"Snake's still alive, we can - we can -" Mario quickly looked around at the towering concrete walls of Subspace, the thick ivy creating a large blanket over the thick stone. Ivy... "We can tie him up there! Like -" Mario rushed over to the vines, and grasped one in his hands. It was thick, robust, and as Mario tugged on the plant, it held. He was impressed by how fast he was actually thinking. "-these are thick enough, we could... tie his legs and arms, and yank him up, with... other vines, attached to Snake. All three of us could pull him up, right? And he'd be safe." Mario nearly added an 'I think' at the end of his sentence, but stopped himself. He didn't need second-guessing when they were inches from death.

"Yeah. That's a good idea Mario." Zelda said quietly from behind him after a long, shocked silence, her voice now a little more steady. "We can save him." her eyes seemed to glimmer with unshed tears, ones that Mario forced himself to ignore.

There was another long pause, before Sonic piped up. "How are you two not losing your heads right now?" he exclaimed, disbelief in his words. "We're about to -"

"Die, Sonic, but at least we can save Snake." Zelda said, her now patient, slightly confident voice echoing slightly in the corridor. She stepped up next to Mario, yanking down a vine. "C'mon, drag him over here, quickly."

Sonic looked as if he wasn't going to comply to Zelda's request, before (not without an exaggerated sigh) picking himself off the ground and grabbing Snake's arms, gingerly dragging the older boy to Mario and Zelda. Another Floow's wail rung through the air.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry..." Sonic muttered under his breath as Mario and Zelda feverishly tied Snake's arms with vines, before doing his legs. Mario's concern for cutting off Snake's circulation quickly disappeared when he head a Floow scream, closer now. Sonic had started tying vines to the plants that were holding Snake by climbing slightly upwards on the wall, quickly knotting the plants around each other. Soon enough, the trio had made a sloppy, makeshift pulley system to lift the unconscious Snake.

Mario handed the ends of two vines to Sonic and Zelda, before grabbing two vines, backing up so his vines were taut. He saw Snake move off the ground ever so slightly.

"Okay," Mario whispered, readjusting his grip on both plants. " _Pull!_ "

All three yanked back on their vines, and Snake, slowly but surely, began to rise up along the wall, limp and lifeless in appearance. The rough surface of Mario's vines began digging into his hands, jolts of pain flying up his arms. He heard Sonic curse from next to him, but the Runner didn't stop pulling.

It was a tense, stressful process that seemed to drag on and on. Mario was surprised that no Floows had found them yet; he kept hearing their wails from afar. His arms were also trembling - even with two other people helping him, Mario felt exhaustion beginning to creep into his veins. Sooner or later, Mario doubted he would even be able to move his arms, much less pull someone up a wall.

"I think... it's good." Sonic panted after a few more minutes of pulling, looking upwards at the hanging Snake, about 20 feet in the air now. "We can tie our vines... to some lower ones."

Mario heard another Floow's shriek, now very close, it sounded like.

"Okay, but we have to be quick!" Zelda hissed, keeping her vine taut as she stepped up to the wall, tying her vine into a tight knot low to the ground. Mario and Sonic followed, feverishly tying their knots as Zelda stood behind them, looking anxiously at the long corridor leading to Subspace. After a couple minutes, all three looked up at the hanging Snake, who was pressed close to the wall in a drooping position.

"Looks uncomfortable as hell -" Sonic started, but he was cut off by a very loud shriek.

Then there were clicking noises that were not heard before.

Mario's heart leapt into his throat. The Floow was right around the corner, it sounded like. He looked quickly at Sonic and Zelda, who were both frozen. They were trapped, in a dead end, right next to the closed Gate.

Mario went to climb up the thick ivy on the wall, but stopped, as he saw the thick tangle of vines at his feet, big enough for someone to hide in, in fact. A small bubble of hope rose in Mario's chest.

"Guys!" he whispered to Zelda and Sonic, before beckoning at the vines, pulling them apart as quickly as he could. They could make a hiding spot, big enough for the three of them to stay in until they would inevitably have to flee, deep into Subspace -

"Fuck it!" Sonic exclaimed quietly, looking down the dark corridor. The clicking noises were still continuing, but Mario hadn't seen the Floow yet. "I'm going to hide on the other side, you two, stay there!"

Mario didn't even look at Sonic as he finally shoved apart more vines, urging Zelda into the tangle of vines before he followed. It was very tight, but Mario managed to cover the opening with stray vines, drawing himself close to Zelda. He didn't know where Sonic was now - hopefully hidden.

The only thing Mario could hear for at least five minutes was Zelda's rapid breathing, as well as his own.

Then, there was a dull thud, then odd, low-pitch clicking noises. _Very_ close to Mario and Zelda. Mario felt as though his blood had frozen to solid ice.

Those ominous clicks would sometimes be rapid-fire, then very slow, before another thud. A quiet wail followed.

 _Click. Cli-cli-click. Click. Click._ A thud.

 _Cli-cli-cli-click._ A thud. Then a wail.

Mario pulled Zelda instinctively close, shutting his eyes tight. He hoped, prayed that the Floow wouldn't tear apart their hiding spot, and the last things that he and Zelda would ever see would be a monster -

 _"FUCKING RUN, YOU PIECES OF DIRT!"_

Sonic's scream ripped through the air, followed by the crash of foliage, then the ear-splitting scream of a Floow. Zelda gasped into Mario's ear, as another shriek ripped through the air, now farther away. Sonic was leading the Floow away.

"Shit!" Mario exclaimed, ripping through the poorly-made hiding spot and stumbling out onto the ground. Zelda followed, grabbing his hand before screaming,

"RUN!"

Mario didn't need to be told twice as he grabbed Zelda's hand, sprinting toward the true entrance to Subspace, Zelda right next to him. The blood was pounding in his ears as they ran, before they reached a crossroad - left or right.

Mario took a right, pulling Zelda with him as they continued to sprint through Subspace. He remembered Link, talking about different environments, sectors - what would happen if they ended up in one, how would they get back to the Sanctuary -

Zelda's scream rang in Mario's ears suddenly, making his heart skip a beat as he skidded to a stop.

A Floow, right in front of them.

It was massive, towering over the both of them, a greyish-black, vaguely humanoid figure. It had small points for feet, looking as if they weren't touching the ground, but where it's feet were, small cracks were in the ground. A black smoke hovered around the Floow, creating odd, disorienting shapes as the smoke seemed to move on it's own.

The Floow's face was the most terrifying thing Mario had ever seen.

Red, gigantic eyes, with no pupils, staring right at him and Zelda. It's mouth was simply a large, black hole in the middle of it's face, but even from Mario's distance from it, Mario could tell there were small, sharp teeth inside it's maw.

It paused when it saw Mario and Zelda, as if it was shocked that it's prey had run right into it's hands. Then, it screamed, the most blood-curdling Mario had ever heard.

Zelda screamed as well, tightening her grip on Mario's hand as she pulled him backward, down another corridor to their right, away from the Floow. Mario had almost fallen, but adrenaline kept him on his feet - he knew that the Floow would be right behind them.

Mario didn't dare to look back as he kept running with Zelda, her hand like his lifeline. They needed to live, they just _needed_ to -

"YOU GUYS!"

Sonic suddenly appeared by their sides from an adjacent corridor, making Zelda shriek, but she didn't slow in her running. Sonic's cheeks looked rosy, Mario could still see in the dark, and he was breathing heavily.

"I've got three of them on me -" he gasped, just as a Floow's shriek ripped through the air. "-I literally went straight through Sector 3, almost got crushed by a damn shifting wall -" Sonic gulped before continuing, "- there are so many Floows, and all of the walls are in the wrong positions in Sector 3, and that Sector shouldn't even be like that - this way!" the Runner took an abrupt turn to the left, and Mario nearly fell again as he sharply turned, Zelda right in front of him.

"We can't keep running the whole night! We'll die of exhaustion before we get caught!" Zelda gasped, "What the hell are we going to do?"

"I'm working on it!" Sonic yelled, as another Floow's scream echoed through the Subspace corridors. "I'm just making sure we don't run our way into a dangerous Sector and get ourselves into more trouble than we deserve -!" he took another sudden turn, Mario and Zelda tailing him. Mario could feel exhaustion begin to creep up his legs, the twinging, burning feeling increasing as time went on. Zelda was right - all three of them would burn out before the chase would end, and even if they did manage to escape the Floows, there was no way the trio would be able to take off at another sprint if they needed to. They just wouldn't.

More Floow screams rang through the air, as if the monsters were communicating with each other as they chased their victims. Even Sonic, who was very fast, Mario came to realize, wouldn't even be able to stand up against a pack of Floows. Human stamina could only last so long.

Even so, the trio kept running, taking different paths every once in a while through the darkness, not speaking. Mario's breaths were coming out in slight gasps now, a burning sensation developing in his lungs. It felt as if they had been running for hours.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, then a tremor that coursed through the ground, nearly throwing Mario completely off balance. This was new. Very new. Sonic's voice reached Mario's ears, a desperate tone very distinct.

"The freakin' walls are moving! If we don't move, we're gonna get trapped!" he screeched, and Mario made an effort to lengthen out his strides, his feet landing heavily on the hard ground.

No one spoke for a long time again, until Mario saw it straight ahead in the darkness - a physics defying, moving slab of stone, slowly closing the gap with another wall. A Sector that would soon close up leaving, Mario realized with a terrifying jolt, him and his friends with nowhere to go.

"KEEP RUNNING!" Sonic screamed, just as a eerie wail rang through the air. Mario dared to look behind him, and his heart nearly stopped. Four or five Floows - it was so hard to tell in the dark - were following them, bouncing off each other as they pursued the trio. Getting very, _very_ close.

"GO! GO GO GO!" Sonic yelled again as they reaching the rapidly closing gap between the walls, ushering Zelda through, before looking at Mario quickly. "MARIO, C'MON!"

Just as the Runner said those words, an idea made it's way to Mario's head. A very dumb one. Every cell in Mario's body was screaming at him no, but for some reason, it seemed like the _right_ thing to do.

"Go through! I'll be right there!"

"ARE YOU -"

"Go Sonic!" Mario exclaimed to the Runner, who, with a dumbfounded look, sprinted through the rapidly closing gap. The Floows were very close now, gliding toward Mario at a fast pace.

Mario began to bounce on the balls of his feet, resting a hand on the wall next to him. The Floows were now 30 feet away.

He could hear Sonic and Zelda's screams 20 feet away, just past the closing gap between Sectors.

20 feet.

Mario's blood was pounding in his ears.

15 feet.

The Floow seemed to be reaching out toward him, the other three by it screeching in nearly a triumphant manner.

The gap between the walls had nearly closed completely.

At that moment, Mario turned, and sprinted down the tiny space between the unmoving wall, and the wall cutting off the next Sector. He could hear the Floow behind him, screaming in some primal rage. He was getting pressed by the walls on both sides - he was almost to Sonic and Zelda -

With a panicked screech, Mario squeezed himself through the final stretch in between the walls, falling to the ground at Sonic and Zelda's feet, before another furious wail ripped through the air, cut off with an ominous, final thud of stone against stone.

Mario didn't move from his position on the ground, panting, his head pressed against the cool stone of the ground. All three Smashers did not move, absorbed in a long silence.

It wasn't long after that till Sonic spoke, his voice hushed.

"What. Were. You _thinking_ _!_ " he said, his voice clipped. Mario did not look up at him, closing his eyes slightly. That final, desperate sprint had spent the last of Mario's energy, so much that he simply wanted to sleep, no matter if a Floow found him or not.

"Mario... you just killed it. You just killed a Floow." It was Zelda who spoke, very quietly.

"... I know." Mario muttered, finally sitting up on his heels. "It was crazy, I just..." Mario looked back at the closed-off Sector a few feet behind him, barely any shock registering as he saw what was keeping the wall from shutting completely with it's partner.

It was the Floow, about halfway out of the gap, but crushed nonetheless. It's arm, now mechanized, Mario saw, stretched out from the gap, rigid in the air. He couldn't see the head, and only saw the mangled pieces of the torso sticking out. It was truly dead, and if there was a few feet more to the walls, Mario, no doubt, would've been grabbed by the monster.

"They're..." Mario murmured, scooting back from the wall to Sonic and Zelda, who were also staring at the dead Floow. "... They're machines?"

"Damn." Sonic muttered, his voice quiet. His voice betrayed a sort of awe, and when Mario looked up at the Runner, the other boy's eyes were wide.

Zelda helped Mario up, whose legs trembled briefly, before he steadied himself. Yet, his legs still screamed with throbbing exhaustion.

"We should at least, y'know, try and get back to the Gate." Zelda said, and her voice shook slightly. "We don't know if those Floows will come this way."

"It's still pretty dark out. But then again, there's always a divider between certain sectors." Sonic said, putting his hands on his hips. "The Gate's first corridor leads to two different sides of Subspace, all the Sectors' walls get jumbled up everyday. But there's always a huge divider, so if you're on one side of Subspace -"

"-You can't go to the other." Mario said, finishing Sonic's sentence.

"Yeah. Unless they somehow figured out how to backtrack all the way over here, I think we'll be okay. For now."

A long silence hung in the air after Sonic's words, and Zelda walked to one of the walls, slumping down onto the ground, letting out a long sigh. Mario, for an odd reason, felt like crying. If Sonic was right, they had just survived a night in Subspace. Nobody had done that before. Ever.

Mario went to sit next to Zelda, who, as Mario sat, grasped his hand, squeezing it. She flashed Mario an encouraging smile, one that made Mario feel a little better. Sonic sat down on her other side, putting his hands into his hair.

"We made it." Sonic said after a long while. "Those Floows... I don't think they're out for too long, actually. For once... we'll be freakin' safe." the Runner chuckled, yet it sounded very tense to Mario's ears. Zelda smiled slightly, shrugging.

"We lived." she said, throwing her head back against the wall. "We lived." she repeated again, as if establishing the fact.

"Goddamn." Sonic muttered, chuckling again. Mario thought that the boy's laugh sounded a little more genuine now. "And Snake..."

"I bet he's safe and sound." Mario said, trying to force a joking tone into his voice. "Just as cozy as a bedbug."

Sonic sent Mario a smirk, an eyebrow raised.

"Shut up, you little piece of dirt."

All three Smashers laughed slightly, all with a heavy weight lifted off their chests.

They were safe.

They had just survived Subspace.

* * *

 **Voila! Kinda a weirdish way to end an action chapter, but hey, everyone lived (I intended to have them all live anyway lol)! Basically, Mario has just set off a chain reaction of events in the Sanctuary and Subspace with his brilliant life choices, so from now on, a lot of stuff is gonna happen! Anway, please R &R and I hope you guys liked it! ~ALBS**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Heyo everyone! I'M SO SORRY. I've been gone forever, I know, and I feel terrible for not updating this fanfic sooner :( But I'm back with a lengthy chapter! I have looked at all of your suggestions, and thank you! They're all wonderful and helpful! So: I've added some Marth (for a reader :D), and for Pit, that may be a while... I might add him as a Smasher, or otherwise (to answer another reader :D). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and even though my update schedule may get shoddy, I'm still updating! So let me know if there are any errors or mistakes, and please review, favorite, and follow as well!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything :/**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

The Sector where the three Smashers had camped out in had begun to lighten considerably, in the dim, near-dawn light. No other Floows had stumbled across them. Mario even got at least an hour of fitful sleep in, but he doubted Sonic shut his eyes once.

The trio slowly made their way back to the Gate, as the sky transitioned from a blackish-blue to a lavender color, making Mario's anxiety levels decrease. No more Floows for the day, most likely. What Mario really needed was a long sleep in his hammock, right after getting a satisfactory feast from Captain... Mario's mouth felt like it was watering at his thought, but he quickly shoved it from his mind as Sonic abruptly picked up his jogging pace, forcing Mario and Zelda to adjust to the pace.

After about an hour, Mario recognized where they were. The three were so close to the Gate, he could practically taste it. No one spoke as Mario remembered their trail. That long left there. The right. Left. Another left. Mario felt like his heart could explode in his happiness. Just another right -

Down the long, final corridor, the Gate was wide open. Mario could see the Sanctuary, in its early morning light. He never felt happier to see the place as joy swelled up in his chest again. They made it, they _lived_ -

"THERE THEY ARE!"

"SONIC! MARIO! ZELDA!"

"THEY LIVED!"

There were jubilant yells from the group of Smashers, who were all congregating at the entrance. The Smashers had been waiting for them, Mario realized. And they weren't going to be met with sadness this time, because they were alive -

"MARIO!" Mario saw Kirby at the front of the crowd, waving eagerly, a large smile on the younger boy's pudgy face. Mario never felt happier to see the boy, and waved back. They were halfway back now, all three Smashers sprinting as fast as they could.

Sonic reached the Smashers first, leaping into the crowd of rowdy, rambunctious boys as they all surrounded Sonic, their cries filled with a sort of aggressive joy. Mario then reached Kirby, grabbing the younger boy and hugging him tightly.

"Holy crap, you lived!" Kirby exclaimed, practically yelling into Mario's ears as they parted, his face flushed pink with happiness. Mario couldn't say anything, and only laughed, standing up straight again.

Suddenly, Mario felt a burst of air behind him, making him start as he whipped around to see what had made the disturbance. It was Link, rushing by, his face white as he pushed by the Smashers, who all looked in the second-in-command's direction.

Then there was Zelda, who flew into Link, the two of them embracing in what looked like a bone-crushing hug as nearly all the boys turned to look at the two, who were swaying back and forth, Zelda's face buried in Link's shoulder. More Smashers began to cheer, which then accelerated to catcalls and yells when the two parted, and Link brought Zelda's lips to his in a chaste kiss. Kirby let out a high-pitched shout, nearly shattering Mario's eardrums in the process as wolf whistles were also added to the din; to which Mario couldn't help but laugh.

"Mario! We still gotta tell him -" Sonic appeared next to Link, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Runner's face was knit with concern, and the realization hit Mario like a bullet. Snake. Snake was alive.

Mario abruptly shoved through the Smashers, nearly knocking Kirby over as he made his way to Link, who was still with Zelda.

"Link! Link -" Mario began, as Link turned, his face an expression of relief, slightly flushed.

"Mario, Sonic, thank god -"

"Snake is still alive. He's hanging on one the walls, about a hundred yards from here, he got Taken, Link -" Sonic began, not wasting any time telling the second-in-command. Link's expression rapidly changed from shock, to solemness, to relief, all in the matter of a second it seemed like.

"Right. Right now, I'm more worried about you three, you must be exhausted - hey, uh, Marth! Samus!" Link pushed through the crowd of Smashers toward the two Runners, who, at the sight of Zelda, Samus practically tackled into a crushing hug, while Marth went up to Sonic, clapping the head Runner on the back. "I want you two to get Snake. He's a little ways down the main corridor. Bring knives. You'll know why."

"...Okay, but don't count on us going back in Subspace again." Marth said, his voice flat. Sonic looked sharply at the other boy, eyes narrowed.

"Why not?"

"Because it's gotten a hell of a lot dangerous already. Almost all of the others agree with me anyway. Things are messed up, Sonic."

It looked as if Sonic was ready to punch Marth in the face, to which Mario decided to intervene.

"Hey, can't we just figure this out another time? Snake's alive, and that's all that matters, right?" he said, hoping that Sonic would stand down just a little bit. Marth didn't seem to care much, only shrugging before prying Samus off Zelda, leading her through the Smashers to the entrance of Subspace. Most of the Smashers had begun to filter out, most going back to their jobs - the excitement had died down quite a bit. Mario noticed that Kirby was gone as well, likely forced to go to a new job for the day.

"What did the newbie do now?"

Abruptly, and breaking through his thoughts, Mario felt a rough hand on his shoulder, shoving him forward, nearly making him topple to the ground. He turned after a few moments, and saw Bowser standing behind him, a deep frown on the Builder's face.

"He goes into the maze and comes out alive. This newbie is too weird, he should've died." Bowser said, his voice laced with disdain. Sonic walked up to the taller boy, hands on his hips.

"Yeah. And you're one whose never put a toe in Subspace." the Runner turned to Link, who had a frown on his face as well. "Link, he killed one. He killed a Floow."

Majority of the Smashers were not in front of the Gate anymore, but the ones who had heard all turned in the direction of Sonic, then Mario. A brief silence filled the air, before Link spoke.

"Sonic, are you -"

"He crushed it. Between two of the Sector walls, waiting for just the perfect time to run through. Crushed it like a bug."

Mario saw that Bowser's face was growing redder and redder, like he was about to explode at any second. Link seemed to notice Bowser as well, as his eyes flickered from Sonic to Bowser before speaking.

"Okay. We'll talk about this later; we'll call a Gathering. Until now, the three of you get some rest. Stop by Luigi's too. Just relax, and Snake will be -"

"What do you mean, he killed one of those things?" Bowser cut across Link's words, his tone aggravated in nature. "If none of you have figured it out yet, he might have screwed everything up for us! We have lived for four years in coexistence with these things, and if some idiot has killed one of them -"

"If you haven't noticed, this is the first time we've killed a Floow. They've killed some of us plenty of times, you dolt." Sonic snapped, fixing Bowser with a disgusted look. "Mario saved all our asses, and you don't have to go around whining about it."

Bowser looked ready to strangle the Runner, but only glared at him, before turning to Link.

"You better call a Gathering." Link didn't say anything in response, yet his eyes flashed defiantly. After a few tense moments, Bowser fixed Mario with an almost murderous gaze, before stalking away, fists clenched.

As soon as Bowser got out of earshot, Sonic swore, before spitting on the ground. Link sighed, and Zelda grabbed his hand, smiling lightly.

"We can help you get Snake with Luigi. We're not that tired, really." she said, her voice gentle. Link only shrugged, before Marth shouting at the second-in-command broke the small group from their early morning daze.

"We got him! He looks bad -" the boy said, as he and Samus were practically dragging the leader of the Smashers, both red-faced and breathing heavily. Link ran up to the two, kneeling down as the two Smashers carefully lowered Snake to the dirt. Sonic ran up as well, while Mario and Zelda stood back. Zelda turned to Mario, before resting her hand on his arm.

"Do you want to stop by Luigi's? The guys will meet us there I'm sure." she said, and Mario only nodded, letting her lead the way to Luigi's. They walked at a very slow pace, and Mario could feel his feet practically dragging on the ground. He'd never felt so tired in his entire life - what he really needed was a long nap. Or 24 hour sleep. Either sounded great.

Just as Mario thought that, Zelda yawned loudly, slumping over slightly as they walked. Her blue-violet colored eyes were half shut, slight dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Mario asked, and Zelda jumped slightly, straightening.

"Oh... Yeah, I'm fine." she smiled slightly. "Just tired."

"Me too. But we'll be able to rest up. Link told us to."

Zelda frowned slightly at that as they reached the thatched healer building, her face covered in the slight shadow cast by a low-hanging tree. "From what I heard from Bowser, you're going to have to be at a Gathering."

"Oh. That. Whatever it is."

Zelda smiled again, patting Mario's arm. "I couldn't tell you much. I barely know what the Leaders talk about; but Link's fair. If Bowser is thinking about punishing you, Link will likely go against it. Snake, he'd probably be more strict, but he..." she shrugged, before opening the door to the Med-Building. The door opened with a slight creak, and Mario saw Luigi stand up from a cot, looking at the two of them as Zelda closed the door. Mario saw the mystery girl on the cot next to Luigi - she didn't look any different from before.

"How are you guys? Are they bringing in Snake?"

The moment the boy said those words, Link and Sonic burst through the door, dragging a struggling and moaning Snake, who was straining against their holds. Luigi instantly darted forward, clearing away a cot with miscellaneous bandages and cloths spread on it before Link and Snake shoved a writhing Snake down on the cot.

"What's wrong with him?" Mario rushed forward, looking down at the struggling Snake, spit flying from the leader's mouth. The older boy's eyes were rolling, his breaths heavy and ragged as his chest heaved up and down.

Both Link and Sonic were forcing Snake's arms down on the cot, tying them down tightly to the sides with ropes, as Luigi frantically began to dig around in a small cabinet, the clinking of glass sounding from it. Mario grabbed Snake's flailing legs, one of the older boy's feet nearly hitting him in the face. Luigi rushed forward, a large syringe filled with a blueish liquid in hand, before plunging it straight into Snake's leg.

The leader let out a strangled cry, stiffening slightly before going limp, his eyes going half-closed. Luigi blew a strand of hair from his face, while Link and Sonic stood back from Snake, both breathing heavily. Mario slowly let go of Snake's legs, as they were now limp. The syringe was still jammed into Snake's right leg.

"He'll be fine now." Luigi said, exhaling before sitting down on a rickety wooden chair. "The Serum will take care of him. For now at least."

"We don't need another crazy Smasher running around the Sanctuary though." Sonic said, before yawning. Link looked sharply at the Runner, frowning slightly.

"You should probably rest. I don't think your Runners are motivated enough to go into Subspace anyway." Link said, looking at Mario and Zelda in turn. "You guys too."

Mario thought that Link's idea was the best he'd ever heard, and he was glad that someone had finally said it directly. Luigi nodded as well, shrugging.

"I think staying up all night in Subspace is something that bandages can't fix. Sleep sounds good though." he looked at Mario, slightly smiling. "Mario looks dead on his feet anyway."

"Thanks Luigi." Mario said, and Luigi only shrugged, raising his hands in the air. Link nodded, brow furrowed.

"Good that. Get some rest, then we'll inevitably have to have a Gathering, or Bowser will probably throw a fit." Link rolled his eyes as he spoke, and beckoned Mario, Sonic, and Zelda out. "You'll be fine with Snake, right Luigi?"

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later today then."

Mario turned back one more time and waved at the Healer, who waved back as Mario exited with Sonic and Zelda. Link shut the door behind them, and waved them off, not before kissing Zelda lightly on the forehead, which made Mario feel like him and Sonic were intruding on the brief moment.

"Can I have one too?" Sonic joked, to which Link only glared at him, before scoffing and shoving the Runner away. Sonic, snickering, began walking next to Mario as they headed to the sleeping quarters. Zelda then caught up to them, her face slightly flushed, but she looked as tired as Mario felt, her expression half-dazed.

"So, how long have you and Link been stealing moments together, Zellie?" Sonic slyly said after a brief silence, smirking as Zelda's eyes flashed with annoyance. "He seems pretty happy about being able to kiss you in broad daylight."

"It's an unspoken rule - no relationships. Snake said that, and we complied." Zelda shortly said, pushing aside the heavy cloth curtain entrance to the sleeping quarters when they arrived. Sonic scoffed, before holding the cloth open for Mario to enter. The hammocks never looked so inviting to Mario in his few days in the Sanctuary.

"Bullshit. You guys never complied." Sonic said offhandedly.

Zelda didn't respond, only sending Sonic a bored look before going down the small hall, in the direction of the girls' quarters. Sonic looked at Mario with a raised eyebrow, to which Mario only shrugged.

"You know what, I'll drop it. Seriously." Sonic sent a look at Mario, before collapsing in Kirby's hammock. "Hopefully the kid won't mind me taking a snooze in his hammock."

"Nah, I don't think he will, as long as you don't drool."

"Haha." Sonic sarcastically said, before a silence set in.

"Well, good morning Mario." Sonic said jokingly, before Mario climbed into his hammock, rolling over on his side.

"Yeah, good morning Sonic."

Mario couldn't force himself to say anything else, as sleep pushed down on his eyelids, making him fall into dizzying blackness.

* * *

Mario awoke abruptly, aware of the sun shining through the gap between two curtains, and Sonic's loud, steady snoring. There was a small breeze rustling the sleeping quarters curtains, making Mario's hammock sway slightly. He didn't know what time it was, but he did know he had just had probably the best sleep in his entire life, and he was hungry. He hoped that Captain may have something in the kitchens for him to eat, but Mario couldn't be sure.

He rolled over in the direction of Kirby's hammock, where Sonic was splayed out, arm hanging over the side, one leg out of the hammock. Loud snores were emitting from the hammock, which signified that Sonic was in very deep sleep.

Mario wondered when the Gathering would happen. Maybe Link would burst in at that very moment, forcing Mario and Sonic to climb out of their hammocks and participate in a meeting of some sort. Dealing with Mario and him running into Subspace.

Really, it seemed like the only reason they were having a Gathering was because of Bowser. Link looked reluctant to have a Gathering about it, but he hadn't said anything against it.

 _He's probably nervous because of Bowser,_ Mario thought. _The Builder could snap at any moment, actually._

At that moment, Sonic unleashed a massive noise in between a snort and a snore, making Mario jump. Mario had half a mind to wake Sonic up to stop the racket, but Mario felt so relaxed in his hammock, he doubted he could get out no matter how hard he tried.

Just as Mario was about to doze off again, he heard heavy footsteps, before the curtain doors were swept to the side, the sun intruding on Mario's sleepiness. He groaned slightly, and heard Sonic moan from the other hammock.

"There's a meeting."

Mario looked up after his eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight, and saw Ganondorf standing in front of him, slouching slightly.

"Huh?"

"You have to be there. There's a Gathering. You too, Sonic."

Sonic only groaned, before sitting up sharply in the hammock, his hair sticking up every which way and that. The Runner swung his legs out of the hammock, before stretching.

"Okay, I'm coming. C'mon Mario."

Mario sighed, before forcing himself to get up. He felt much better now, and reckoned that he could sit through a Gathering, or meeting, or whatever it was. He followed Sonic and Ganondorf from the sleeping quarters, squinting slightly again as the sun winked and sparkled low in the sky. Ganondorf was trudging along, towards a thicket of trees that had a squat, small building sitting under the shade of a tall willow tree. When they reached the building, Ganondorf roughly opened the door, silently ushering Sonic and Mario inside, before going in behind them and closing the door.

Because of the slowly setting sun outside, the building was dimly lit, and the only furniture inside were chairs, all sitting in a circle, all occupied except three. The room was silent, and Mario quickly put together that all the boys in the room were group leaders, Link included. Ganondorf and Sonic took their seats, and after a moment of hesitation, Mario took the other seat. It creaked as he sat down.

There was a long silence, before Link cleared his throat, sitting forward on his chair.

"I announce this Gathering to start. Because Snake is on... leave, I, second-in-command, will direct this Gathering." Link sent Mario a look of tiredness, like he didn't like the formality in which he just spoke. "This Gathering is on the subject of the newbie Mario, as he went into Subspace last night, killed a Floow, and came back alive. He obviously broke our number one rule - don't go out into Subspace, but... I feel like our rules are falling apart as we speak."

Bowser abruptly stood, his nostrils flared in anger.

"We should punish him, it's the only way to show everyone that rules are rules! This kid isn't special in any way, he's just some kid who thinks the rules are obviously below him. I never liked him, even a second into him coming up from the Box. Look at what had happened these past few days - a weird girl shows up after him, the Box hasn't gone down, apparently the Sector walls are all whacked - this kid has started something! And if we don't do anything about it, the Sanctuary is gonna go to hell!"

The room exploded into chatter, and Sonic stood as well, his chair falling backwards.

"You're a coward, Bowser! Mario has done two times as much than you!" Sonic retorted, his voice rising above the rest of the hubbub. Mario forced himself not to speak - he reckoned him saying anything would just cause more problems.

"QUIET YOU IDIOTS!" Link shouted, standing as well, cobalt eyes fire-like in nature. The chatter instantly died down, and even Bowser didn't say anything, only sitting back down. Sonic roughly put his chair upright, sitting stiffly. "Look," Link exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "We have to come with an agreement. We'll go around the circle of leaders, and all of you say your opinion. Wolf, how about you start."

The Cutter exhaled, crossing his arms. "I don't know." his voice was gravely, but sharp. "He broke rules, but at the same time, he's taught us something. We _can_ fight. But... he should be punished. I don't know." Wolf finished, and Mario's heart sunk slightly.

"...Okay. Captain?"

"You know, screw punishment. As far as I'm concerned, he's just proven himself two times over as a true, badass Smasher. He's a good guy. I say nay to punishment."

Captain's statement caused some muttering, while Mario's heart rose up in his chest. Captain believed him.

Then came Ganondorf, who surprisingly agreed with Captain. Then Yoshi, who said punishment, but not anything harsh. Just something to show people couldn't break rules. Punishment. No punishment. Punishment. Punishment. No punishment.

Bowser didn't say his opinion, only sending a dangerous glare in Mario's direction. Mario felt a chill down his spine, and avoided the Builder's eyes. Link seemed to get the idea, before speaking.

"I think... Mario shouldn't be punished. Severely. Maybe just a day in the Pit, but... no, nothing other than that. Why would we harshly punish him anyway? He brought Snake back, and I'm bloody sure Snake would say the same as I am." There was a long silence after Link spoke, and Mario felt grateful for the second-in-command. Link was fair, he knew that.

There was no opposition to Link's word, and the second-in-command nodded his head to Sonic.

Sonic was just about to speak, before the door sprang open with a bang, and Kirby was at the doorway, breathing heavily. Everyone was quiet, all looking at the younger boy.

"What is it?" Link asked, his tone slightly cross. Kirby took a gulp of air, before speaking all in one breath.

"The girl is awake, and she's asking for Mario."

* * *

 **Mystery girl is awake! Finally, I've been waiting to make her wake up in this fanfic, and she is! In the next chapter though. I hope y'all enjoyed it, and please R &R! ~ALBS**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey guys! I am back with another chapter, and I hope you all will enjoy it, even though I've been gone for like weeks (sorry, finals) :D I should probably mention that in the actual Maze Runner books, the two main characters use telepathy. Mario and ~Coma girl~ will not, it would just make this fanfic a tad more complicated than I want it to be lol. Also to people who flame: If you don't like the way I'm writing, don't bother telling me that it's crap or for me to stop writing, because I will keep writing c: Just don't comment or keep reading for that matter, lol. But on that note, please let me know about any errors, and R &R! Thank you to all for reading this fanfic!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

Mario didn't waste a second making his way to the Med-Tent, and he could tell that Kirby wasn't far behind as they sprinted to where likely Luigi, and the girl were. The girl was awake, which meant she could possibly tell Mario why the hell she knew his name. She could maybe explain why the Box wouldn't go down anymore. Maybe she could explain everything.

In that train of thought, Mario forced himself not to get ahead of himself. It was possible she didn't remember much, especially after a coma lasting a few days. _But she still remembers my name._

Mario burst through the door of the Med-Tent and saw Luigi, who had his hands on the shoulders of the girl, calmly speaking to her in a hushed voice. The girl was sitting on a cot, her hands gripping the edges so tightly that they were white. Mario noticed that her eyes were not focused on Luigi - the baby-blues darted around the room, seeming to drink everything in. Her eyes fell on Mario standing in the doorway, and she gasped, loudly.

Luigi jumped and whirled around at the girl's exclamation, before relaxing, his shoulders sagging. "Oh, so you did get Kirby's message."

"Mario? Are you Mario?" the girl said just as Luigi finished his sentence, her voice hushed and hoarse from disuse. Upon closer inspection, Mario decided that this girl was very pretty. Fluffy, blond hair, large eyes, small lips, an elegant figure. However, she looked weak, dark circles visible under her eyes even from the slight distance Mario was at.

Mario took a step forward, just as Kirby burst through the door too, breathing heavily. "Um," Mario turned around to look at the pink-faced Kirby, before going back to face the girl again. "Yeah."

"Do you... remember me? Are... where am I, what am I doing here?" the girl asked, things that sounded very familiar to Mario - those questions were practically identical to his a few days before... had it actually been only a few days? It felt longer to Mario, as if he had been with the Smashers for a month already.

Luigi stood up straight, putting his hands on his hips as he stood over the girl. He looked at Mario, shrugging. "I could tell her everything if you want."

"I wouldn't really know what to say in the first place, besides -" Mario paused as Link came into the Med-Tent, his face in an expression of slight confusion. "- I barely know anything."

"You're Mario, aren't you?" the girl asked again, and Mario turned back to her, looking at her flushed and solemn face.

"...Yeah, I am." Mario slowly began, before Link's voice cut across his.

"And who are you? Why do you know Mario's name?" the older boy's tone sounded almost harsh, and the girl seemed to sense it, abruptly standing, upsetting the cot.

"I don't know! It's all disappearing, all that I remembered, I don't know -!" the girl stumbled back farther, the cot collapsing to the ground that hit a small table, slightly upsetting the glass jars on it. "I just remember Mario, and, and -" she stumbled again, and Luigi went to grab her arm, but she wrenched it away. "Get away from me!"

Link look alarmed, and stepped forward, holding up his hand. "I didn't mean to scare you newbie, just calm -"

"-It's all TABUU, I - I'm just so - I can barely remember!" the girl held her head, shaking it. "Why can't I remember anything!? I woke up, and now... I'm forgetting." It was as if she said the last part more to herself, not to anyone else in the room.

A long silence followed, before Link spoke up. "It happens to all of us, newbie. You'll have to relax for a moment, or you're not going to get any answers. Do you remember your name, or has it not come to you yet?" the boy's voice was soothing, surprisingly calm. Mario looked back at the girl, who had now lifted her head upwards, her arms wrapped around herself. She stared piercingly at Mario, before slowly, voice shaking, beginning to speak.

"... Peach. That's... that's my name." she said, her tone apprehensive. There was another long silence, before Link spoke.

"So you remember your name, Mario's name, and... TABUU." Peach only nodded, brow furrowed.

"Yeah."

"But how?" Mario couldn't help but speak up, and Peach looked at him, her gaze unwavering.

"I don't know."

Another silence fell over the small group, as now Peach had seemed to calm down, yet she was still breathing hard, her face solemn. Mario continued to look at Peach, before Link sighed, shrugging.

"I'll go. C'mon, Kirby, Luigi. Mario, you should probably talk with her." the second-in-command gave Mario a slight smile, before walking out of the Med-Tent, Kirby following close behind. Luigi waited for a few more moments, before smiling tightly at Mario and exiting the Med-Tent. A long silence formed between Mario and Peach, and Mario couldn't help but look at the cot by the far wall - Snake was strapped into it, asleep, but seemed to be straining against the ropes holding him down.

Mario shifted in place, an increasing discomfort growing inside him. He didn't know how to start a conversation with a girl who knew his name - knew more than just _her_ name. From what other Smashers had implied, that wasn't supposed to happen.

"Why do you know more than just your name?" Mario cringed inwardly, thinking he sounded too accusatory. Peach didn't seem to notice, and only shrugged.

"It's all... disappearing. I feel like I remembered more, you know, but now that I'm awake... I can't."

"You remembered more things when you were in a coma?"

"I wasn't exactly talking to anybody during my coma, so it felt like... it was just a mixture of scenes replaying over and over in my head. But now... I can't, like I just told you." Peach's voice sounded defeated, and Mario couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. He must have sounded the same a couple days ago as well - confused and flustered.

"How do you know _my_ name?" Mario emphasized the 'my', and Peach looked at him. They were about the same height, maybe Peach was just slightly taller than Mario.

"Can I say that I don't know? It was just... pounded into my head or something. Mario. And... TABUU."

Mario didn't know what else to say, and only looked down at his feet. There wasn't much to talk about anymore, much less question. If Peach couldn't remember much, she probably couldn't. Unless she was lying.

Mario forced himself to stop thinking that way, and brought himself back to the present. He had nothing else to say, however - all he could do was stand in silence.

"... I think, I'll just... stay here, a little longer. I shouldn't keep you, Mario." Peach said, her voice gentle. I guess... we could talk later."

"... Right. Um, yeah. So... bye." Peach smiled, and sat down on a rickety chair that was sitting next to her upset cot.

"Bye."

Mario quickly left, and he wasn't very surprised when Link and Luigi were found standing almost right outside the door, and as soon as Mario exited, Luigi entered the Med-Tent before closing the door with a clack.

"Did she say much?" Link asked, and the two began to walk away. The sun was already setting, casting long shadows across the ground.

Mario internally thought that his conversation with Peach was one of the most awkward he had ever experienced, but he decided to play it cool. "It was fine, I guess. She doesn't remember a lot though." Mario forced himself not to talk about TABUU. Frankly, Mario must remember some things - the occasional dream he had revolved around that name, a name that made no sense to him.

"That was odd, though," Link said, brow furrowed. "TABUU is the name that's plastered on all the supplies that comes up. Not that hard to miss, and why would she be saying that she knows the name?"

Mario couldn't help but think that name would come up at some point, whether he liked or not, so he decided to not change the subject. "Um... yeah, I don't know. D'you think we're stuck here... because of them? How we get up from the Box, get our supplies?" Mario suggested, and Link only nodded.

"Must be. Their name is on everything. It's odd though. It's as if they're saying she's the last one, so they're not bringing up supplies anymore. Like... they want us to die." Link's voice got very low at that part, and Mario couldn't help but shiver. "It's not like we've been sitting around, doing nothing for four years. We want to get out, but... I don't know."

Mario opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by Sonic running to them, and the Runner grabbed Mario's shoulder, whipping him around to face him. "Mario, tomorrow, we should check out that Floow."

"Why would you do that?" Link questioned, and he frowned. "That sounds pointless anyway."

"We might as well do it. All the Subspace walls are messed up, I'm thinking Floows can have something to do with it right? If we -"

"That's a good idea. I've been thinking about that." Mario quickly said, just as Link opened his mouth, likely to veto Sonic's suggestion. "Maybe that Floow could tell us something."

Link raised a brow. "What, by its guts? It'd be a little sketchy, don't ch'a think -"

"Floows are mechanical Link. They're obvious made by someone, they can't just will themselves into existence, can they?" Sonic countered, for once sounding serious.

Mario concluded that Sonic was very good at arguing his point, as Link only frowned and shrugged.

"Fine. Tomorrow. And don't come whining to me if you don't find anything." At this, Link walked away, leaving Sonic and Mario standing alone. Sonic looked over at Mario, a smirk on his face.

"How's the girl?"

"She's... fine, I guess." Sonic raised a brow.

"By fine, you mean..."

"She's not freaking out like I did. I mean, she just... remembers things. Which isn't supposed to happen, right?"

"That's right. Everyone only remembers their name. She's just... different. As well as somehow triggering the Box to not go down anymore. But, I do think going out tomorrow will help us with figuring this out. Subspace, that is. I won't get us killed, I promise." Sonic grinned, patted Mario on the back. "You were awesome out there newbie. Last night. Sheesh, I would consider making you Leader of the Runners -"

"What? But Sonic -"

Sonic raised a hand before continuing. "Seriously. You were ballsy. Of course, I didn't say that at that dysfunctional Gathering, or Bowser would've probably killed you. And me. And maybe Link would've killed me too." his voice dropped lower, so quiet that Mario had to lean in closer to him. "But that's something between me and you." the older boy winked before walking away, calling back to Mario over his shoulder. "Just relax! Tomorrow we'll be running around Subspace in no time!"

* * *

After dinner with Kirby, Mario couldn't sleep. It made sense of course, as he was one of the three who had slept through almost the whole day. He had walked back with Kirby to the sleeping quarters, reluctantly telling the younger boy what had happened in Subspace. Needless to say, Mario's heartbeat had quickened as he told Kirby what had happened, as if his body was vividly remembering the feeling of being trapped in a gigantic, seemingly endless maze. Kirby looked fascinated as Mario told him the events, and his mouth was slightly open when Mario finished, both boys lounging in their hammocks.

"...Wow. I would've never been able to keep my cool like that. I probably would have peed my pants, and started crying."

"I'll be honest with you, I felt that way too. But I guess... I don't know, I forgot that feeling almost right away."

"Zelda said that she was really scared. Terrified."

"I think she was probably the bravest out of us three. She didn't lose her head right away, unlike Sonic."

Kirby laughed, his hammock swinging back and forth. "From what I heard, Sonic played it cool."

"He definitely did not play it cool."

Kirby yawned, and smiled at Mario. "Y'know, I'm just happy that you didn't die. You're like, my only friend in this whole place. Besides Zelda, but I don't think she counts."

Mario felt a twinge of compassion and the tiniest bit of sadness at that. Kirby considered him one of the boy's only friends, which then eluded to that fact that, probably most of the Smashers considered the youngest Smasher annoying. Not that he wasn't, it was simply the fact that Kirby was so young. How the boy wasn't losing his head, crying every night. Mario was almost sure he would've.

Kirby rolled over in his hammock, stretching. "I can't keep my eyes open. Captain's food is so heavy, it nearly gave me a heart attack..."

"Is that a goodnight?" Kirby looked over his shoulder at Mario, before nodding and turning his head away.

Slowly, one after another, more and more Smashers began to filter into the sleeping quarters (Mario saw Zelda steal a kiss from Link), before the lights went out and nearly everyone was asleep. Mario continued to stare out into the Sanctuary, now very dark, the moon casting an eerie glow out over everything. The behemoth walls of Subspace sat looming in the distance - Mario could hear some of the walls moving, if he tried hard enough.

Mario felt his eyes begin to grow heavy, even though he had slept through most of the day. There was an uncomfortable kink in his neck, which he loosed by sliding down further into his hammock. As soon as Mario settled into a comfortable position, his mind drifted, and his eyes began to close.

He wondered how Peach was doing.

He wondered about the next day, going back into Subspace to check out the dead Floow.

He wondered about TABUU, before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Get up, you pieces of dirt!"

"What's going on?"

"What the hell?!"

Mario screwed his eyes shut tighter, hoping for more sleep. He really needed to just drift away again, weightless, in sleep.

"Mario!"

He felt a rough hand jerk his shoulder, but Mario didn't open his eyes. What was everyone freaking out about?

"MARIO!"

This time, the yell was directly in Mario's ear, forcing his eyes open and making him jerk upright in his hammock, squinting against the sudden brightness. Kirby was standing next to him, his face knit with concern.

"Wha...?"

"The sky, Mario. Look at the sky." Kirby said, his voice terrifyingly dull. Mario knit his brow together, his brain processing what the younger boy had just said. Mornings did not work well with him...

"The sky...? Kirby, the sky is there everyday."

"No, Mario! Get up! Look! Everyone slept in, there's no -"

"Okay, I'm up!" Mario cut off the boy, forcing his feet out of the hammock, standing up slowly before walking outside, where surprisingly, majority of the Smashers were. Once him and Kirby were outside, he looked at the boy. "What?"

Kirby said nothing, and simply pointed upwards.

Mario looked up, and his heart nearly stopped.

There was no gradual sunrise. No shadows flitting across the ground, Mario just realized. No oranges and yellows staining the sky.

The sky was grey. A limitless, dark grey. The Sanctuary was darker now, with no sunlight. There was no big, bright ball happily rising in the sky. The world was grey.

Mario looked back at the sleeping quarters, where Sonic was emerging, looking distinctly disgruntled. However, that expression quickly morphed into shock as he stepped outside, surrounded by Smashers talking in a panicked manner. The Runner walked up to Mario, disbelief written all across his face as he said what was on Mario's mind as well.

"Holy hell, the sun's gone."

* * *

 **Well, one thing that I'm happy about is that Peach has been introduced! Her role is gonna get BIG later on, but this chapter was more introductory, and her appearance is going to be setting off all types of stuff happening in the Sanctuary, let's just say. Also the sun is gone, so that's a problem. But anyway, more action in the next chapter, more drama, and I hope you all enjoyed! R &R! ~ALBS**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: First off, I wanna say that I am heartbroken from the tragedies that have occurred in Florida - they were absolutely terrible and I hope y'all are okay :( things like these shouldn't happen, but they do. Anyway, I'm sorry for my terrible updating again, overseas updating is hard because of all the stuff I'm doing :/ However, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, the plot thickens here... (FYI : For ease of story writing, I'm planning to follow the movie a little more, but Maze Runner book elements will definitely be there :)) Please R &R, and I love you all!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing lol**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

The biggest object in the solar system would not just disappear, Mario knew that for a fact. That was impossible. Unheard of.

Terrifying.

There was certainly light, however. The Sanctuary hadn't been plunged into complete darkness, or extreme cold. It was just dark and cloudy looking, as if a thunderstorm was on the horizon. The air did feel cooler than it did in the sun, but that was expected in Mario's head.

However, the blazing, bright ball in the sky disappearing was definitely not expected.

More and more Smashers began to filter outside, each one looking more panic-stricken than the last. Sonic was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, eyes wide. The runner didn't say anything in his usual snarky outburst to relive the stress of a situation - Sonic seemed lost for words.

"What is this?" Mario asked, not in particular to anyone. In almost a dazed tone, Sonic replied, but didn't take his eyes off the sky.

"I have no idea." he murmured, before he seemed to break out his daze, shaking his head quickly. "This can't stop us from checking out Subspace. The other guys are depending on us to check it out." Mario had never heard the boy sound so serious before this moment.

Suddenly, there was a surge of more voices adding to the panic, as some Leaders exited the sleeping quarters, most with confused expressions on their faces. Bowser was among the group, and his face first flickered from shock to almost anger. Link's face instead morphed into one of concern, even fear.

Bowser abruptly burst forward, nostrils flaring as he stormed through the crowd, fists clenched. He stopped when he reached the front of the group of Smashers, before whirling around and placing his hands on his hips.

"This is a sign, you idiots! Its - its all because of that weird newbie! The girl!" Bowser's voice cracked slightly, and he wildly pointed in the direction of the Med-Tent, where Peach likely was. "She needs to be banished!" the older boy shrieked at the top of his lungs, and the little ways away, Mario saw Peach exiting the Med-Tent with Luigi. The two stopped as they heard Bowser's voice, and Luigi seemed to retreat backwards, trying to pull Peach back.

Without warning, Bowser rushed the Med-Tent, sending the Smashers into a panicked frenzy as boys began to yell and move around. Mario darted forward, but Sonic grabbed his shoulder, roughly pulling him back.

"Let me go! Peach could get hurt!" Mario tried to wrench the Runner's hand away, but Sonic held fast.

"From how she talks and acts, I'm sure she can defend herself, the other boys won't let Bowser get to her - we need to go run! Marth, Meta, you're coming with us!" Sonic abruptly barked, and the two Runners complied, but in an obviously reluctant style. Suddenly, there was a shout and a yelp of pain from the direction of the Med-Tent. The small group of Runners turned in that direction, just in time to see Link being thrown down to the ground from a well-placed punch in the face from a red-faced Bowser. "HEY!" Sonic yelled, running toward the Smashers near the Med-Tent. Mario followed, Subspace running forgotten in the moment. Bowser had now grabbed Peach's arm, to which the girl had begun to shriek and pummel the Builder's arm with a fist. Link was being helped up by a few Smashers, but the second-in-command's eyes were dark with anger, blood running down his face from his nose.

"Bowser, stop it!" Mario yelled, but kept his distance from the boy. From personal experience, he had no intention to go near the Builder.

However, Link seemed to have no problem confronting Bowser again, wiping a hand across his bloody face before snarling at the other boy.

"Lay off, Bowser. Or I'll throw you to the Floows." the second-in-command said in a dangerously low voice. Mario had never seen the usually peaceful boy with so much hostility chiseled into his face. The Smashers grew silent, and Peach paused in her fruitless struggling to stare up at Bowser, whose face somehow became even more red.

Every Smasher seemed to brace themselves for an inevitable fight between Link and Bowser, but the tension immediately disappeared once Bowser roughly let go of Peach's arm, shoving past Link and stalking away, in the direction of the Dark Glade.

Mario couldn't help but sigh in relief as Bowser's back retreated from the group of collecting Smashers, and stepped forward towards Peach, who was rubbing her arm with a look of disdain on her face.

"You okay?" Mario asked Peach, and the girl nodded.

"... Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Peach replied, her voice soft. "That Bowser kid is a jerk, I've come to realize."

"He hates me. He hates everyone probably. Don't worry about it." Mario forced himself to sound as nonchalant as possible, but it was hard - his voice was shaking slightly. Peach smiled in response, her expression much more relaxed than it was before.

"Mario, we need to go." Sonic had walked up to Mario, his face set. "The sooner we check out that dead Floow, the quicker we get back. I have a feeling that being out there longer than we should won't solve anything."

Mario quickly glanced at Peach, whose face was impassive. He then looked back at Sonic, before nodding quickly. "Okay."

Sonic nodded back, before turning and jogging away, in the direction of the Gate.

Mario didn't look back at Peach and the rest of the Smashers as he followed Sonic, who was a ways ahead. What he really needed to focus on was the task ahead - Get into Subspace, check out the dead Floow, and get the hell out of Subspace. It wasn't that hard.

He took a deep breath as he reached the Gate at a sprint, following Sonic, Marth, and Meta in Subspace, under a dead, grey sky.

* * *

It took much longer than Mario expected it to. To reach the sector where the dead Floow was, anyway.

On the tense way to the Floow, Mario consistently tried to keep up with Sonic, trying to take the same, long strides, the brisk, grueling pace. Sonic was very, very fast, his feet seeming to simply skim the ground, instead of landing solidly on the concrete ground. The ground was the only thing that stayed consistent in Subspace - the walls would change, vines being replaced with jagged, metallic spikes, thick groves of shrubs and bushes replacing that, and more. Mario remembered what Link had said about different environments - this was definitely that.

Sonic kept muttering under his breath, incoherent, but Mario still tried to hear what he was saying. The runner's face was taut in concentration, brow furrowed. His face stayed that way, all the way to where the dead Floow was.

Mario was surprised that Sonic remembered where the Floow was, but when they reached the mangled corpse of the monster crushed in between the two walls, Sonic took out a knife, angrily throwing it at one of the walls surrounding them. The knife buried itself, hilt deep into a vine, quivering.

"None of the walls moved! None of them! Damn it!" Sonic exclaimed, kicking up dirt in exasperation. Mario looked back at the pink-faced Marth and Meta, both their faces expressions of bewilderment. Sonic turned to face the three, his face tomato red. "The walls move every night. Every. Single. Night. Now they aren't. Something is very wrong. God..." The lead runner began to pace back and forth, which at that point, Meta spoke, his voice quiet.

"Weren't we going to look at that Floow? Maybe it could...tell us something."

"Yeah, that sounds about right...right?" Marth looked at Mario, an eyebrow raised. "That's what we came here to do anyway."

"... Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly right." Mario righted himself, walking past the aggravated Sonic, who looked up as Mario reached the gap in between the dead Floow walls. Mario peered into the wide crack, delicately pushing the wicked Floow's hand away from his head. It made a crackling noise as he did.

"D'you see anything?" Meta asked, his voice hushed. Mario craned his head in farther, until he saw a steady, blinking red light from the wreck of the Floow.

"I...there's a light."

"A light?" Sonic repeated. "What's it on?"

"Like..." Mario blindly reached his hand into the gap, groping around the Floow machinery for the red light's source, coming up with what felt like a cold, metal tube. "Some sort of tube." Mario tugged at it lightly, and it gave. "I think I can pull it out."

"Be careful." Marth remarked, and Mario heard a noise of agreement from Sonic.

Taking a deep breath, Mario tugged hard at the tube, and it disconnected from the Floow with a metallic crack.

A terrifying shriek ripped through the air, and the crushed Floow suddenly flailed in what seemed like death throes, its gnarled hard tugging at Mario's shirt as it flailed about. Mario let out a strangled cry and fell backward in a panic, being pulled away from the gap by Sonic. More shrieks from the Floow filled the air, until the walls shuddered, and collapsed completely on the Floow, cutting its cries off abruptly. The hand jutting from the now-closed gap fell limp again.

Silence enveloped the runners and Mario, until Mario looked down at the tube in his hand.

It was cold, metallic, and perfectly cylindrical. The tube was rather heavy, with thick, broken cords jutting out at one end. The red light in the middle of the tube continued to blink steadily, not wavering once.

Mario turned the tube over, and branded on the side was the name T.A.B.U.U, and the number 7. Underneath that was a long string of small numbers and letters with a barcode, something that Mario didn't bother reading into.

Sonic peered over his shoulder, and placed a finger on the T.A.B.U.U engraving. "That's the name that's on all the supplies that comes...came up from the Box."

"...You're saying..." Mario started, looking at Sonic, whose face was drawn.

"I'll bet you a thousand bucks that the Floows were made by the people who put us here."

* * *

The run back to the Sanctuary was tense, and the small group didn't stop once in their journey through Subspace. There were no Floows to be seen.

As the small group returned to the Sanctuary, Mario guessed that it was now around mid-morning, but it was hard to tell from the dull, grey sky. All of the Smashers were rushing around the Sanctuary in what looked like almost panic, everyone's face serious.

Mario saw Kirby, running around as fast as he could, lugging sticks and other materials around this way and that. He saw Ganondorf, rounding up all of the animals in one pen, dumping a massive amount of grain into a trough, and hurriedly leaving the animals to likely help around the Sanctuary some more. Mario noticed that Bowser was nowhere to be seen.

"It looks like everyone is preparing for the worst right now." Marth said, looking around.

"You're right. Should we be doing something?" Meta asked, and Sonic looked at him, brow raised.

"Honestly, I have no idea Meta. What are they doing anyway?"

"Getting ready for anything that comes at us." The four boys turned in the direction of the voice, which belonged to Link, who was standing a ways away with his hands on his hips. Mario noticed that his bloody face was now cleaned up, but there was a fresh bruise on his left cheek. "Now that the sun is basically dead, we can't expect our food supply to stay. I'm making inventory of everything, packing everything up. We won't starve to death." he finished, looking down at the ground. Link looked up abruptly, brow furrowed. "Did you find anything? Anything that could... help us get out? Somehow?"

Sonic crossed his arms, leaning heavily on one leg. "The walls have stopped moving. Mapping for a cut-and-dry exit isn't going to work anymore. However -" the runner grabbed the cylinder from Mario's hand, handing it to Link. "We found this. In a Floow. I was thinking about it, on our way back - it's probably the smartest thing I've ever come up with -" Sonic stepped forward, placing a finger on the tube, "-but the number 7, that could be a Sector number, right? Numbers 1 through 8? And - Sector 7 is one of those Sectors that you can only go so far in, you get cut off..."

"You're saying this Floow, came from Sector 7?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Maybe if we went back in, checked it out with this thing -"

Link raised a hand, shaking his head. "Sonic, it's a brilliant idea, but...not now. Besides, Mario has a punishment to serve."

"Wait, what?" Mario looked at Link, who continued to look down at the Floow tube. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday. The Gathering. Just a day, you get food and water. No problem, you just spend the day in a little room." Link looked up at Mario, before turning away. "Sonic, just pop him in and report back to me. We have a lot to get done. Marth, Meta, go help out in any way you can."

The second-in-command waved slightly, before limping away rapidly, already shouting orders at other Smashers. Sonic heavily sighed, and waved off Marth and Meta. "You two can go. Help out in any way you can."

Both runners complied, and Sonic turned to Mario, clapping a hand down on Mario's shoulder. "I'll take you to the Pit, then."

"That sounds pretty threatening." Mario remarked as the two began to walk, in the direction of the Dark Glade. "Is it in the Glade?"

"No, kinda by it though. Just a pit with wood bars and stuff on top. You get a chair, so that's cool. It won't be that bad - you'll only be in there for a day and night, less because you ran this morning. You get food too."

The day before, the idea of being imprisoned was not ideal Mario, but it seemed much better, now that he got food and the time spent wouldn't be too long. It sounded like Smashers could get a punishment much longer than just a day and a night.

The Pit was basically a glorified hole with a messy crosshatch of wooden bars over the top, allowing sunlight to filter into the hole. If there was a sun, anyway.

"Hole sweet hole." Sonic said as he untied a thick rope on a makeshift door and yanking the door open, beckoning to Mario. "Hop on in, you piece of dirt."

Mario only grinned at the runner, before stepping down the rickety steps into the Pit, as Sonic closed the door behind him. "Behave now, or no lunch for you."

"Yes ma'am." Mario saluted to Sonic, who rolled his eyes and walked away, disappearing from Mario's line of vision.

The first hour or so wasn't too bad. Mario sat down in the rickety chair in the middle of the Pit, rocking back and forth, then began to pace the small hole. Kirby came once to deliver a small lunch and chat with him, until the younger boy had to go do his own chores. Mario had enjoyed the small talk; it had fended on increasing boredom, but now, in the late afternoon it felt like, Mario was _very_ bored.

Mario had fallen asleep once for a quick nap, but now, he felt lethargic and tired. There was nothing to do in this dull prison, except sleep...

"They've told me not to see you. But I didn't listen."

Mario was jerked out of his stupor, nearing toppling out of his chair as he looked upward. Peach was there, staring down at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, eyes narrowed.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. You?"

"I've been stuck with Luigi the whole day, in case that brute comes back to help out, and instead lashes out at me. I can't do much, and I'm sure no one trusts me still. Actually, I haven't seen Bowser all day..."

Mario felt slightly concerned that Bowser was basically missing in the Sanctuary, but shoved the thought aside."Then just keep an eye out. Bowser is pretty crazy." Peach cocked her head slightly, before looking at Mario again.

"You're the only one I trust in this whole place. I don't know, I...knew you. I'm trying to remember, but I can't."

"Don't push yourself. Think about it later maybe." Mario suggested, but Peach only shrugged.

"Mario, I -" Peach cut herself off, as in the distance, a yell sounded out over the Sanctuary. "Crap, that's Luigi. I have to go. Bye." Peach stood up, waving slightly as she disappeared from Mario's sight. Mario waved back, but sighed, and slumped in the chair again. He couldn't wait until the next morning, when he could get out.

Mario fell back into a full stupor, hoping that it was dinner-time soon. He felt like sleeping again, until Link's sudden appearance above him, all the while yelling at the top of his lungs, made Mario forget sleep completely.

"Mario! You're getting out right now! C'mon!" Mario frantically stood up as Link yanked open the Pit door, briskly helping him out of the Pit before speed-walking in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

"Link! Wha-"

"Do you realize what time of day it is, Mario?" Link spun around to face Mario, grabbing him by the shoulders. The second-in-command looked skittish, nervous. Mario quickly sifted through his brain for any problems. Snake was missing from the Med-Tent? Someone went into Subspace? Someone set something on fire? But those almost had nothing to do with the time of day...

"I..." Mario started, but Link cut him off, his eyes dark.

"The Gate hasn't closed yet. We're trapped. And -"

Suddenly, a massive tremor ripped through the ground, nearly making Mario and Link topple to the dirt. Mario heard loud groans and crashes of stone, and with horror, he realized that there was no Gate closing.

In the three other walls that enclosed Subspace, what had looked like solid concrete walls were splitting apart, creating, in the end, three more Gates. Three more entrances.

The Floows would have an easy way into the Sanctuary.

Mario frantically looked at Link, who had turned deathly pale. Link had to know something. Maybe it wasn't that bad. The Smashers would fight.

Link took a deep, shaky breath before speaking.

"We'll all be dead by morning."

* * *

 **Well, there you all have it! Another cliffhanger, lol. I liked writing this chapter, Mario and friends are actually starting to figure stuff out and it's high stress. Y'all will see soon where Bowser is (if you read the book, you'll know). To answer CrazyMarthFan (I'm sorry if it's not exactly your username): I actually never thought about how I put those two together all the time! I guess it just happened naturally, but ship them however you want!**

 **So, please be patient for another chapter ( it'll be a while), and thanks to everyone who is reading this fanfic! R &R! ~ALBS**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hola, ALittleBirdSaid here! I'm so sorry. I'm terrible at updating things, I'm bad at a lot of things, and yeah. I'm sorry I'm so late with this update, but from now on, it will improve :) So recap: the Gates to the Sanctuary aren't closing, sun is gone, people are freaking out, yada yada. I hope this chapter is good for all of you guys reading, and I promise the next one will be coming in a usual week or so (maybe less, who knows?) And thank you to people reading and enjoying this fanfic (even though I never respond to reviews, but I still take them all to heart) Anyway, please let me know about any errors you find, please favorite, follow, review, and I hope you guys enjoy!  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything! No Maze Runner stuff, no Nintendo stuff**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

Mario felt as if he had been dunked headfirst into icy water at Link's hopeless, unemotional words. That couldn't be true. They wouldn't die; they would live. Even though the Gate had opened, along with three additional entrances; even with the inevitable Floow invasion in the Sanctuary.

Mario then realized he was probably going into denial over another Floow encounter.

"Wh-what?" he soon forced himself to stammer, still slightly in shock over Link's less-than-optimistic exclamation. Link looked at him again, his face deathly pale.

"The Floows are going to get into the Sanctuary. It'll be a bloody massacre." Link turned and began to walk away, as to which Mario followed. He didn't want Link to be in a hopeless mood. He was the last Smasher who probably could hold a little order in a group of 30-plus boys (and three girls) without causing major conflict or fights. And conflict and fights was stuff that the Smashers definitely did not need in this moment in time.

"Wait, Link, maybe we can figure something out -"

"-I'm trying, Mario, and right now, not many ideas are going through my head." the second-in-command's voice was shaking slightly.

Mario had to pick up his walking pace to keep up with Link as they returned to the main sleeping quarters, where most of the Smashers had gathered. They were all mulling about, most looking shocked, others looking like it was the end of the world.

Which seemed to definitely be the case now.

It hit Mario that he only vividly remembered life from about a week ago or so. He had no memory about how he came to the Sanctuary, no memory before the Sanctuary - except for muddled and confusing dreams with Peach in the mix as well. To be frank, Mario had adjusted quite well, but there was a slight sinking feeling in his stomach at the fact that he would probably die soon, and he technically only had a memory of a few days.

Smashers instantly began to ask questions when Link was back in their midst, all scrambling for answers.

"What's going on?"

"Why is everything opening up?"

"Where do we go?"

"Are we gonna die?"

Different people's voices continued to overlap over others, each time increasing in volume and distress with each additional say. Mario saw Peach standing at the fringe of the crowd, a blank, yet horrified look on her face. Mario wanted to over to her, ask her if she was okay, if she was feeling better.

But part of him wanted to ask her if she somehow had something to do with the sun disappearing, and the walls of the Sanctuary opening into Subspace.

"STOP IT! NO ONE IS GOING TO DIE!" Link's voice resonated over the crowd, his accent much more distinct now - thicker and very obvious. A sudden silence washed over the Sanctuary at his command, and there was a long pause before he spoke again.

"No one is gonna die." he repeated, holding his hands up to the sides as he spoke. "First, we can't lose our heads. Second, we need to secure the sleeping quarters. Builders, can you build a barricade around the quarters? With wood, logs, anything?"

"We could, but Bowser isn't here." One of the Builders, Rob, piped up, with some agreeing murmurs from other Builders.

"You don't need him. For now, worry about your lives and get working." Link's voice was remarkably cold, and he didn't continue speaking until the Builders filtered out of the large, silent group.

Mario felt Kirby sneak up next to him, the younger boy's pudgy hand gripping Mario's arm. It hit Mario right then too - Kirby was so young, he needed a parent, a mother. The closest person to a motherly figure was probably Zelda, but that wasn't the same. Even though Mario didn't even remember his mother, he could tell that was the comfort Kirby needed. In fact, the situation all the Smashers were in at the moment was one that desperately needed some figure of comfort among them. But there was no one like that at the moment. There was only Link making orders at various Smashers. The Builders to start making sturdy walls around the sleeping quarters. Captain and his crew to gather up food and supplies.

The one mantra Link continued to repeat was stay calm. Relax. He didn't sound like a teenager like all the others, he sounded much older, as if he knew exactly what he was doing, and what would happen after.

But Mario saw his eyes dart around nervously as they spoke, how they flickered uneasily in the dull light of the increasingly darkening Sanctuary. Link didn't know what to expect - it seemed everything the second-in-command said was on instinct now.

"We don't have a lot of time, do we?" Kirby said from next to Mario, the slightly out-of-context sentence sending a chill down Mario's spine. It was vague enough that is could either elude to the time to prepare for the night, or when the Smashers could be killed.

Mario shoved the thought from his head, forcing himself to think positively. Most of the Smashers had broken up from the crowd, all seeming to get to work in strengthening the sleeping quarters. "Um... We'll, we'll have time. We're gonna be safe tonight, for sure."

Mario couldn't shove the thought from his head that he was telling a lie, but he didn't want to think about it any harder. Kirby seemed to recognize the hesitation in Mario's voice, but the younger boy didn't seem to show much, save for a slight frown that graced his pudgy face for less than a second.

"Ok."

"Kirby, we'll be fine. We just need to stick together, okay?" Mario tried a smile that he hoped didn't look like a grimace. There was a long pause from Kirby, until he only nodded and smiled, not saying anything.

"We need to go back into Subspace soon."

Sonic's voice cut through Mario's thoughts as the he walked up next to Mario, before he waved slightly at Kirby. "Hey Kirby, what's up?"

"Not much," Kirby muttered, before Sonic looked back at Mario, his emerald eyes blazing.

"We'll need to go back into Subspace again."

"Not-not now, right? Sonic, that's suicide -"

"I didn't say that. I'm saying that we'll need to go back in, and scope out Sector 7 with the weird tube thing you found in that Floow. But now..." Sonic sighed in dramatic manner, putting his hands on his hips. "This is insane. I would like to go out now, but, y'know, that's a touchy subject right now."

"We could go tomorrow, right away."

"If we have a tomorrow anyway."

There was a very long silence, before Mario forced himself to turn away from Sonic and walk away. He needed a moment, but after a few more seconds, Mario realized he wouldn't get one, as Peach had popped up next to him.

"Snake is awake."

That was a surprise to Mario.

"Wh-what?" Mario turned sharply in the direction of Peach, who looked unimpressed.

"Yeah. That serum helped him a lot. I think Link is checking on him now, telling him everything that's happening. I just...didn't think this would happen."

"You've forgotten everything?"

"Of course I have. It's all fuzzy now."

"I...have had dreams. I see things that I probably shouldn't -"

"TABUU is good?"

"I -"

"-Have you heard that?"

Mario didn't know what to say. The way Peach had said that statement, even in the form of a question, was odd. It was almost as if she had said it automatically, robotically, like it was something she was purposely supposed to remember from whatever event came before the Sanctuary.

"Uh..."

Peach seemed to realize what she had said, as she looked down at the ground looking flustered, shaking her head lightly.

"Ne-never mind. That must've been something that...I remembered." Peach had muttered the last part, before smiling slightly. "Never mind, really. You shouldn't worry about anything else that's going on. We have a lot we have to do now anyway."

Mario felt a little reassured at Peach's words, but still felt uneasy about what she had said before. TABUU was the name that was branded onto that tube, as well as all the supplies that had come up from the Box. Why would she be praising the name of the thing, or people that had put them in Subspace in the first place?

 _Maybe there's a double meaning, or something,_ Mario thought. _It can't be that bad, can it?_

"Yeah...yeah, we have a lot to do. We should probably get working then. Prepare for tonight, even though I can't tell what time of day it even is."

"It's darker, I can tell you that." Peach remarked, looking in the direction of one of the Gates. She paused, as a disturbingly chilly breeze passed through the air, her blonde hair getting tussled by the wind. "I don't like it."

"Me too."

There was a little longer silence before Peach spoke again. "I think the only person I can trust here is you. I bet if you weren't here, they would throw me to those monsters without hesitation. Because I...remembered your name, and..."

"You're fine, really. I trust you too. And they wouldn't just banish you to the Floows. They may be crazy teenage boys, but they aren't mean."

Peach laughed, but the sound came out strained, too high to be a relaxed laugh. "That's nice of them. Anyway," Peach looked around briefly, crossing her arms, "I guess I should help around. Maybe gain some trust around here." she smiled, before turning slightly to walk away. "Well, I guess I should go."

"...Yeah, yeah, me too." Mario made himself say, and Peach only smiled before turning completely, going in the direction of the Med-Tent.

Mario then decided he would have to help in preparing for the inevitable nightmare ahead.

* * *

It soon reached a point where Mario was unsure if the Smashers would make it through the night.

Yes, the Builders had made a pretty decent defensive wall around the sleeping quarters, Captain had gathered some food and water for all, and Luigi had rounded up his medical things, as well as getting Snake safely inside the sleeping quarters, but still: wood walls could only do so much. They didn't know if the Floows would return into the depths of Subspace in the morning.

There were so many things that Mario didn't know, it was practically impossible to feel optimistic.

After a long time of helping the Builders, or doing other miscellaneous things around the Sanctuary, Mario found himself standing next to Link at the end of it, the latter with a solemn look on his face, staring at a fixed spot beyond the Gate.

"I talked to Snake. He's in the sleeping quarters now." Link said after a long silence, as to which Mario was grateful it had been broken.

"He's okay?" Link smiled, but the expression instantly vanished.

"Yeah. For the time being."

A longer pause followed, before Link exhaled, the noise slightly shaky. "I don't know if we'll be okay, but it's worth trying."

"...It's definitely worth trying. We'll make it." Mario tried to put a positive note in his voice, but likely failed in Link's ear. "So, is everyone accounted for?"

"Everyone except Bowser." Link muttered darkly, crossing his arms, "He's been missing since this afternoon."

To be quite honest, Mario didn't even care that Bowser was missing. The guy was a jerk anyway, and even though he was a teenager like Mario in the same situation as every other Smasher was in, it was mutual that he hated the guy. As heartless as it sounded, it was pretty true.

"I think he'll be fine." Mario decided to offhandedly say, as to Link nodded slightly.

"He knows where we are. If he wants to come crawling back, fine -"

"Link?"

Zelda's voice reached Mario's ears as he turned around, the girl standing in front of him. She was looking at the second-in-command, her blue-purple eyes steely. "Everything is ready," she said, and she shot a reassuring smile at Mario, who he couldn't help but return.

Link nodded slightly. "Alright. Did the Builders secure those walls?"

"Yeah. They did a pretty good job." Mario hoped that they were strong enough to hold off a Floow, but he didn't speak up. That would just kill the forced calm that was hovering over the group.

Link seemed relived at Zelda's report, smiling. "That's good. Zelda -"

The second-in-command cut himself off, as a sudden, unexpected gust of cold wind blew through the fields of the Sanctuary. The chilly gust sent Mario into a bout of shivers, but Link only looked in the direction of the main Gate, his eyes narrowing. The sky had transitioned from its dull grey to now a murky black-grey. If the sun was still in the sky, Mario was sure it would've ducked below the horizon already.

"Get inside." Link murmured. "Get everyone inside. I'm gonna secure everything around here, tell Snake. He's a little...shaken, but he's not gonna make any dumb decisions."

"Link -" Zelda grabbed the older boy's arm, but he shook her off.

"Get inside, Zelda!"

"C'mon," Mario said, grabbing Zelda's hand and gently tugging. "he'll be fine." Mario finished as Link limped quickly away, likely to check and see if there were any straggling Smashers.

Everyone seemed to instinctively be going inside the now fort-like sleeping quarters at the wind and darkening sky, even quicker at Mario and Zelda's urgent voices. It took all but a couple minutes for everyone to filter into the now pitch-black sleeping quarters, all crammed together in a rather claustrophobic way. Captain had lit one small torch in the middle of the room once Mario shut the door behind him, Zelda letting out a small noise of impatience. Link still wasn't back yet.

Mario made his way to the middle of the room, where Sonic, Captain, Snake, and Luigi were. Snake did looked much better than he had - he still looked thin, a sort of sickly blush across his face, but his eyes were oddly alert.

"Snake? How are you?" Mario made himself say. The Leader's eyes flickered with almost...fear.

"I don't trust her, y'know. Dunno if I can even trust you." Snake whispered, so quietly Mario almost didn't catch it.

"Wh-what?"

"I sa-saw things, Mario. Gettin' Taken does stuff to you. I saw what they did. I saw what she did. And you were there, and you -" Snake drew a shuddering breath. The Leader of the Smashers definitely did not sound okay at the moment.

"Snake, let's not worry right now." Luigi said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Mario isn't gonna do anything to you."

"I wouldn't trust her. I wouldn't trust the girl." Snake whispered, and his eyes flickered in the direction of Peach, who was sitting a few yards away. The blonde was sitting with Robin and Ike, but she didn't seem to be saying anything, or listening to anyone.

Mario hesitantly patted Snake's shoulder, and the boy flinched ever so slightly, which made Mario's heart sink in his chest.

"I'm fine, Snake. Don't worry about it."

The Leader seemed relatively satisfied at Mario's words, as he leaned back against a post holding up the wooden ceiling, closing his eyes. Sonic then slid up next to the crouching Mario, green eyes sparkling in the weak torchlight above them.

"Tomorrow, we're going to Sector 7. Just us two."

"Sonic, we can't guarantee a tomorrow though."

"Don't think like that newbie. That weird tube you got from that Floow may be the key to getting out of here, I have this big gut feeling. Samus, Meta, and Marth are basically refusing to go - Samus was a surprise, she'll usually try everything...But you're the best thing I got, Mario. And you're my friend."

Mario felt reassured at Sonic's last statement, which was probably one of the most genuine things that had come from the Runner's mouth.

"Thanks Sonic." the Runner smiled cheekily, winking.

"No problem, you big baby."

The moment Sonic finished his sentence, the wooden door burst open, Link rushing into the sleeping quarters and slamming the door behind him, securing it with a wooden plank.

"Get rid of the light!" he hissed, as to which Captain instantly complied, grabbing the torch and shoving it to the dirt floor, stifling the flame with a thick boot-covered foot.

A million things started going through Mario's head, each possible scenario worse than before. Sonic stood up, speaking in a hushed voice.

"What's going on?"

"They're here." Link said, and the group of Smashers was plunged into silence along with the darkness.

And as if on cue, an eerie wail sounded from outside the sleeping quarters, likely farther out in the Sanctuary. Followed by another. Then a scream. Then another wail.

The Floows had found the Sanctuary.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! Scary anxiety stuff in the next chapter, where no one can see a thing and has no idea what's going on! I'm going to make sure the next chapter will be up very soon, I again apologize for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter! So please R &R you guys, and see you soon! ~ALBS**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Heyo guys, ALittleBirdSaid here. Hoowee, I'm so sorry for not updating for about over a month, I apologize. I started school a couple weeks ago and literally my AP classes make me want to throw myself through a window and run away forever lmao but I did manage to whip up this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it, it's not happy and it's a lil sad but it's entertaining in my book! Hopefully I'll be updating my Zelda fic within the week, so be patient guys! Anyway, thanks so much for everyone reading, you guys are the best :) Let me know if you find any errors, and enjoy!**

 **Rated T for teen**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

* * *

The noises outside of the now-fortified sleeping quarters were purely terrifying.

Mario had no idea how long the Smashers had been sitting, cramped, inside the pitch-black building. Minutes? Hours? He couldn't tell, and the only thing he could tell was the stifling, suffocating fear that he felt. He wondered if the Floows could smell fear.

He was huddled up near Sonic, Snake, Luigi, and Zelda, none of them speaking. When Snake occasionally cried out in pain or exhaustion, Mario didn't know, but one of them would have to stifle the Leader's mouth with a hand every time.

Mario was amazed at the fact that the Floows had not tried to attack yet, or tear apart the flimsy wooden walls to enter the sleeping quarters and claim their victims. There were only the wretched moans, the wailing, the screams, with the mechanical clicking noises and thuds as those thin, grotesque monsters took jerky steps. It was enough to drive someone insane.

But Mario couldn't lose his head. There could still be a tomorrow, but night seemed to be dragging, endless. He wondered if TABUU could control how long the nights and days were. If they made the sun disappear, slowly making the gardens and foliage waste away in the Sanctuary.

If that was the case, Mario would be angry. But he wasn't sure now, not yet.

"Is everyone okay?" Link's voice was barely a whisper as he crouched next to Mario, his cerulean eyes glimmering in the darkness. Sonic shifted slightly in his spot, but didn't speak, only giving the second-in-command a thumbs up. Link nodded, then reached over, shaking Snake gently on the shoulder. "Hey buddy, you alright?" the blond murmured, and Snake groaned slightly, but nodded. Link smiled, then scooted closer to the five Smashers.

"Everyone is hanging in there, right?" Luigi asked, his voice quiet and uncertain sounding. Link nodded slightly, but his mouth was set in a frown. Mario could tell in the murky black of the sleeping quarters.

"You could say that. Some of them are out of their minds in worry. But I'm just going around, seeing if everyone's okay." There was a creak that seemed to sound from outside, and Link fell silent, as did everyone in the sleeping quarters. After several tense, cold-sweat moments, Luigi spoke again, his voice even quieter than before.

"What about Bowser? I-I mean, if he's still..."

"If he's still out there, he's dead. We'll...have to live with it." Link murmured, before sighing. "It's only been a couple hours, I think, at least. I've lost track of time, but it's still dark as hell outside. I just," he leaned closer to the group, and Mario strained to hear his words. "I don't know what in the world the Floows plan on doing. There's no chaos, no killing. It's like they're...waiting."

Those words sounded much more ominous to Mario than they should've, but his mind couldn't help but turn to the worst possibly outcome. If the Floows were waiting, they'd be waiting for some curious Smasher to go out when day broke, and would attack...

"It looks like most of us are asleep, Link. You should rest." Sonic suggested, as Zelda drooped farther onto the Runner's shoulder, her torso rising and falling with each quiet, sleeping breath she took. The second-in-command shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"I bloody can't. It feels like I'm just energized because of the stress of being holed up by monsters that can kill you and make you go crazy." he hissed, and flinched slightly as a Floow's wail echoed from outside. "If you guys can sleep, get some. This is going to be a bloody long night."

And with that, Link carefully stood, proceeding to make his way around the sleeping quarters again, checking on other Smashers. Mario made an effort to get comfortable, leaning against the post that held up a section of the roof. He wiggled slightly in place, crossing his arms as the hood of his sweatshirt rode up on the back of his head.

Mario had to admit he was tired, and his eyes were threatening to close every second, but it was so hard to drift away into sleep, given the circumstances. He wondered if Kirby was asleep already; they had gotten separated inside the sleeping quarters, and it wasn't like Mario could go find the younger boy in the mass of all of the Smashers. He wondered if Kirby was crying at that moment.

He drew out a long sigh, making an attempt to get comfortable against the post.

Soon enough, despite his initial worries, Mario fell into a restless, but dizzying, sleep.

* * *

A shaking, terrifying crunch of wood with deafening thumps made Mario's eyes shoot open, no bleariness, no unfocused gaze. He was alert as his heart instantly went into overdrive, fearing the worst. It seemed like all of the other Smashers around Mario were up too from the unsettling sounds, slumped over figures straightening quickly, a small flurry of whispers rushing through the group of boys (and three girls). He looked in the direction of Sonic, and saw the Runner's bright green eyes in the dark, wide with concern.

"It's trying to get in, isn't it?" the Runner hissed, as more murmuring picked up around the sleeping quarters. Mario didn't say anything, nor did he shake or nod his head. He did not want to face this right now, he didn't want the thin body of a Floow to smash through the sleeping quarter walls, large red eyes piercing through the black of night, without life and thought.

There was more banging, more crunching of wood, giving under each pound. Each time there was a bang, everyone in the murky black of the sleeping quarters seemed to jump, as the panicked murmuring and whispers increased in frequency. Mario had just realized that all of the Smashers were sitting ducks, easy pickings for the Floows. They were trapped, unless they somehow fought their way out.

Link had stood up near Mario, the older boy's breathing quick, but steady.

"Get away from the walls. Huddle!" he hissed after many long moments, as to there was a influx of people spreading the word for a few more seconds. Mario practically broke out into a cold sweat.

The banging stopped abruptly, and there was a long, mechanical clicking, before silence.

"Shit." Sonic murmured, pressed back-to-back to Mario. Mario couldn't reply to his friend, he felt more wound up than a coil that would spring upwards at any second. It seemed as if everyone else in the sleeping quarters went silent as the noises outside ceased, waiting.

After a few long moments, there was a slight moment of relaxation, nothing was going to happen -

Then, with the shudder and crunch of giving wood, followed by an explosion of timber and the screams of Smashers, a massive hole in the side of the sleeping quarters opened up, two steady, red dots, hovering near the top of the hole.

A blood-curdling shriek, and a long, metal arm whipped into the sleeping quarters.

There was a high-pitched scream as a Smasher was violently lifted into the air, the murky black of night offering just enough visibility for Mario to watch the scene unfold.

The sleeping quarters exploded into absolute panic as people began to scream, scrambling to get away from the now exposed side of the sleeping quarters, some trying to grab at the wailing Smasher, who was now getting dragged sharply toward the Floows, the monsters now shrieking and thrashing outside. None of them were entering or attempting to break into the sleeping quarters - it was as if they were waiting, waiting for the first victim.

In a burst of panic and dumb courage, Mario jumped up, shoving his way through panicking Smashers, before running and jumping for the trapped Smasher's arms, the boy's screams echoing in Mario's ears.

Mario could feel himself practically getting dragged by the Floow outside as he looked into the panicked face of the trapped Smasher - Shulk, the Sharpener who had been friendly toward Mario, now he remembered - as Mario struggled to get a more secure hold on the boy. More Smasher's had gone to help, some trying to beat at the Floow's arms with sticks and other weapons, other grabbing for Shulk's other arm, his torso.

The Floow was shrieking outside; Mario could almost hear the anger in the metallic clicking and screams. Abruptly, there was another explosion of wood and dust as a wall, just a few feet from Mario, caved in from another Floow's attack.

Smashers scattered, fleeing to the back of the sleeping quarters, some helping Shulk practically blasted backwards, no doubt where Link was screaming orders over the chaos as Mario's legs almost gave out, his hands slipping on Shulk's sweat-covered arm. Mario knew he couldn't hold on for much longer, he just couldn't. But he couldn't let his fellow Smasher die, not like this.

There was a sudden, sharp crack that echoed through the sleeping quarters, followed by cries of relief as the arm that had Shulk firmly in it's grasp fractured, following a sound blow from Ganondorf and a slab of wood he had grabbed. Shulk heavily fell to the floor, before Mario began to urge the gasping boy to stand.

"We gotta get to the back! C'mon, we -"

"Mario! Look out!"

Mario turned in the direction of the voice - Sonic's, before Shulk's scream ripped through the air again, forcing Mario to whirl around again. The Floow hadn't given up, it wouldn't give up until it died - with it's other snake-like arm, it had yanked Shulk away from Mario again, now more aggressive, quick -

"Shulk!" Mario leaped for the boy's hand, and for a brief moment, had a weak hold on the boy's hand.

The boy's blue eyes were dark with panic and fear, as the two teenagers gazes locked onto each other. Time seemed to slow for Mario, as Shulk's grip seemed to weaken on Mario's hand.

And he let go.

It was quicker than Mario thought. The boy was sharply yanked backwards, out into the night, his screams joining the mix of the Floows' wails and shrieks. At his screams, the Floows seemed to retreat away from the sleeping quarters, as their clicks and wails seemed to fade into the night, but Shulk's cries were still very loud, very indignant.

And all of sudden, they ceased.

Mario was left standing numbly near the hole in the wall of the sleeping quarters, a dull buzz in his ears. A few moments ago, Mario could've saved a Smasher. Now, that boy was dead. Shulk, in those final moments, seemed to have let go.

"Oh god...Mario..."

Mario turned at the sound of Sonic's voice, the Runner's eyes dull in the darkness. Mario forced himself to start speaking, at a quiet murmur, as the whole sleeping quarters had gone silent.

"Sonic...he just -"

"There's nothing you could've done. Those sons of bitches are too strong." Sonic said, herding Mario towards the back of the sleeping quarters. "It..." the boy faded off, seemingly with nothing to say.

Everyone was silent, spare for a few stifled whimpers and sobs from other Smashers. Mario could see Peach a ways away, hands over her mouth; shock. The Sharpeners were all hunched together, mourning, at a loss. It had been so quick, it was as if it didn't even happen. But it had, and the Floows had snuffed out a life as quick as it could've possibly happened.

"They're taking us one at a time." Link murmured finally, his voice breaking. "It's over for tonight."

At that, the Smashers seemed to wilt slightly. They had just lost another Smasher. And Mario partly felt like it was his fault.

Everyone kept telling him it wasn't when all of them bunched up together in the back of the building, getting comfortable for a fitful sleep. Sonic kept saying he didn't have a chance. Ganondorf even said that it was already game over when Shulk had been grabbed. Kirby sat down next to Mario, telling him it was okay. Peach looked at him from a ways away, sadness on her face.

Mario couldn't stop thinking about Shulk's screams for the rest of the night.

* * *

Nobody slept well, that was the most obvious fact of the day. When the grey hue of daylight appeared in the sky above, nearly all of the Smashers were awake, save for a few (Kirby included).

Mario still felt a dull throb of guilt deep in his chest. He shouldn't feel guilty, that's what all of the others were saying, but it felt wrong not to feel guilt. Mario was critical of himself, he knew that - but _he could've saved Shulk._ The boy had been terrified, and out of all of the Smashers, it had just happened to be him. What luck.

Captain had left the sleeping quarters, vegetables and bread and meat in his arms, no doubt going to the (hopefully) not destroyed kitchen to make a hasty breakfast - the teens still definitely needed food. Mario had watched him go, smushed between Snake and Luigi, the former sleeping, eyes darting beneath his eyelids, the latter sitting straight up, staring straight ahead.

More than ever, Mario decided that he was very motivated to run Subspace with Sonic, if it meant getting out of this hell. The Sanctuary was no longer a sanctuary.

It was an execution site.

* * *

"I hate this."

Sonic said that, as him and Mario sat a ways from the main group of huddled Smashers, eating their sandwiches. The Runner was aggravated, Mario could see the furious glint in the boy's emerald eyes as he moodily ate his sandwich.

"Like," a bite, "what the fuck?" then a swallow. "If this dumbass TABUU is behind this -" Sonic made a violent gesture with his hands, a piece of lettuce falling from his sandwich. "-I'll beat up the first guy I see."

"You know what Sonic," Mario started, looked up at the drab, grey sky, "I think you're right."

"I'm always right, buddy."

"That means we should get running, with that thing from the Floow. From Sector 7."

Sonic paused in the action of biting his sandwich, seeming to think it over for a brief moment, before nodding resolutely and standing up, shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth. "Yeah. I say, get a flask of water, a pack, and we'll scoot out. 10 minutes?"

"I think I can digest a sandwich in 10 minutes." Sonic smiled, but it faded quickly as he spoke.

"Make sure you do." the older boy walked away, leaving Mario sitting on the grass, underneath the big oak tree next to the sleeping quarters. Mario was sure it wasn't because of the sandwich, but his stomach was flip-flopping in nervous jumps.

Mario stood, brushing off excess crumbs from his pants as he walked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He would get a flask from Captain, get a little pack from him too maybe, and meet up with Sonic. Perfect. The two would go into Subspace, scope it out, and book it back before nighttime. Hopefully they wouldn't meet any Floows.

All of the Smashers as Mario walked by looked worried, exhausted, clustered into little groups again. The Sharpeners seemed particularly quiet, as Mario felt a pang in his chest at the events of the night before. They hadn't found a body - the Floows no doubt took Shulk. Mario felt bile rise up in his throat - he didn't even want to think about it - he _needed_ to get his mind off of last night, he couldn't dwell, not in this situation.

When he did get a flask of water and a small pack from Captain, Mario saw that Sonic was already ready when he left the kitchen, standing near the Box, with Link, it looked like.

"You're going in?"

Peach's voice made Mario jump, as he whirled around, the girl's aqua-colored eyes looking at him with a controlled gaze. It was a gaze that made Mario feel a little flustered, seeing how Peach _was_ really pretty, and somehow Mario knew her. He hadn't had any dreams in recent nights - he just assumed his memories were fading, like dust swirling away into the wind.

"Y-yeah. Subspace." Mario said, his voice a little awkward, a little forced. Peach's expression of slight concern didn't change as she replied.

"Just...be careful. I can tell - it's TABUU. I just wish I knew what it all meant."

"It is TABUU?"

"I think. It's as if those memories are being forced from my head - I remember them one night, when I fall asleep, but when I wake up the next morning, they're gone. No matter how hard I try, I can't remember." Peach smiled sadly. "I always had a hunch, but -"

"What?"

The girl looked away, brow knitting together. "We... were definitely with TABUU."

"With? Are you saying - we...worked for them?" Mario remembered Peach in his fuzzy dreams, working behind a computer, but he definitely didn't think of working with TABUU. Why, would he be working with the people - or thing - who sent him here?

"Something like that. Just - Mario, be careful. I know...Snake doesn't like me. I think he remembers. Maybe he saw us. Maybe he doesn't even trust you anymore."

"Come to think of it, he did say something odd last night...Peach, why are you bringing this up know though? I gotta go..."

"This feels like a test, Mario. Me being the last Smasher, the Floows...I'm the catalyst in this place. If they're intending to kill us...we don't have long. Us, the ones who - I'm almost positive were working with TABUU - the last ones here? Something happened, and we got sent here, it's methodical, and I don't think we have a lot of time -"

Mario made it a point to grab Peach's shoulders, steadying her, as she had begun to sway in place. "Peach, calm down. As far as I'm concerned, I don't think - I don't think we had much to do with what we're going through now. If we worked with them, so be it." Mario sounded much braver than he actually felt. He didn't like the idea of working for some ambiguous organization that trapped them in some maze. "We're gonna be okay."

Peach smiled as she stepped back slightly. "Just be careful."

Mario didn't say anything back, but he did nod to her, continuing on his way to Sonic and Link. He was almost sure Peach remembered more than he did, and now he felt like the words 'TABUU is good' were things he heard while he was working...

Was he a double agent or something? Did he get kicked out, forced instead to be trapped in some killer maze?

TABUU was definitely sinister, but Mario wasn't sure in what way it was.

"You ready?" Sonic said that, as Mario reached him and Link, who was staring down into the Box, hand over his mouth, brows furrowed in concern. Mario nodded, and Sonic turned to the second-in-command - now active Leader. "Link, we're gonna go."

"Get back as soon as you bloody can." Link said, his gaze now turning to the two Runners. His blue eyes seemed to be more dull that day, less bright and alert. His handsome face was now slightly drawn, tired. "I need everyone back. And _we_ need you two to find something, anything. Do you have that thing from the Floow?"

Sonic nodded. "In my pack."

"Brilliant. Just be careful. And make it back."

Both Mario and Sonic reassured the older boy, as he then walked away, his limp slightly more heavy than it looked before. Sonic looked at now the four open exits out into Subspace, before pointing at the one beyond the Box.

"Sector 7 is in that direction. If nothing moved in there, we'll get there through that Gate." Sonic took a step forward, before looking back at Mario. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

As the two began jogging toward the Gate, the wind whistled eerily, an unnerving tune for an unnerving day.

* * *

 **I really wanted to get to the whole 'run through Subspace' in this chapter, but a lot of conversations and dwelling on how sucky the Smashers' lives are stalled. Anyway, I had a dilemma on who to kill in this chapter (I was thinking about making it someone kinda depressing like Lucas or something), but I went with Shulk because I was kinda just thinking and he was the first guy who came into my head (I'm sorry if you really like Shulk, he didn't get much space in this fanfic at all and his moment of fame is when he's brutally murdered), so yeah... So, thanks so much for reading, and please review, favorite, follow, e.t.c! You guys are the best! ~ALBS**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hello all! First off, I'd like to apologize profusely for not updating for over a month(!). I only just recently updated my LoZ fic, and this one I've been stuck on for a _really_ long time. I know people wanted me to update sooner, but hey, school gives me homework and I have to finish it, and sports is overwhelming to the point where I don't have time for homework, which leads to me not updating... I'm sorry! But I'm back! Second of all, my memories of the first Maze Runner book are very poor, and for some reason I only remember the movie which I watched over a year ago...?Anyway, I'm going off the movie more in this section for plot convenience and not making people confused, because right now, the movie part will work _much_ better than the book plot for Subspace... I like to keep to the books, but this section won't be possible :( so don't spaz if it's not how you remember the book lmao. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think! Like, favorite, whatever, and let me know of any weird errors you may find!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing lmao**

 **Rated T for teen**

* * *

Sweat was making Mario's hair stick to the sides of his face, his shirt soaked from the exertion he had been placing on himself for about the last hour. He and Sonic were practically sprinting to Sector 7, almost with desperation, fervor. The only noise that was reaching Mario's ears was the pounding of his feet on the ground, and the heavy breathing from both boys. They had met no Floow's, no obstacles. Subspace was eerily quiet, too quiet. And Mario did not like it.

Mario heard Sonic continuously mumbling under his breath, seeming to ignore the fact that Mario was with him, until he gestured to the left or right to go a certain direction. The Runner was focused on the task ahead, and Mario tried to focus as well, but his mind kept wandering.

Every so often, Mario would look at the grey, dead sky, which cast a perpetual gloom overhead as the wind whistled through Subspace. There was no comfort in this massive maze, the maze that Mario barely understood. Sonic knew about it, mapping the behemoth structure day by day, but the walls had ceased to move; there was no point in mapping, according to Sonic. All that seemed to matter now was getting out.

The inner region of Sector 7 seemed to be riddled with more vegetation, vines and plants winding up the walls, large tufts of grass sticking from cracks in the stone ground. Little clusters of white flowers grew in corners, but all the plants looked tired, dying. Mario was sure they hadn't had sun in a long time, even when the sun had been out - most of Subspace was shrouded in shadow, both literally and metaphorically.

Soon enough, the green from plants had disappeared, and Mario saw an opening ahead through one of the corridors - past the corridor, the area seemed very open, with no walls or winding paths.

Through ragged breathing, Sonic began to speak as they began to near the opening. "We're...almost to the outer section...be careful."

Mario didn't respond, only nodding as Sonic widened out his strides, which prompted Mario to run quicker as they entered the outer region of Sector 7.

The landscape with littered with what seemed like a random arrangement of thin, short walls, with no obvious pattern whatsoever. Sonic slowed to a stop, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees, catching his breath in large gulps. Mario's lungs burned, but he continued to stand straight, looking around him. It was eerily quiet; too quiet. There wasn't even a breeze anymore, the only noise Sonic's slowing breath, and Mario's heartbeat in his ears.

However, a new noise joined the two boys' labored breathing - a faint beeping, very quiet, but obvious against the stark silence that echoed through Sector 7. Mario turned to Sonic. He was almost sure the noise was coming from Sonic's pack, and Sonic himself noticed.

"Is it coming from me?"

"I think so..." Sonic took off his pack, digging the metallic cylinder out. The red light that had gone out when Mario had pulled it from the crushed Floow was now blinking on and off, steadily. With it, a tiny beeping. Sonic turned it over in his hands, examining it.

"We _are_ in Sector 7... I think, we should maybe go deeper, even though it seems like a dumb thing to do right now. What d'you think, Mario?"

Mario continued to gaze at the cylinder, with its random barcode and jumble of numbers, a grand number seven emblazoned on it. The red light was blinking, almost like a tracker would.

Then the thought struck Mario. What if it _was_ a tracker? What if -

"Hey, Sonic, d'you think...?"

"Hm?"

"D'you think that...this is a tracker?" Sonic looked at Mario, brow raised.

"What?"

Mario took the cylinder from Sonic, turning it over in his own hands, feeling the slick, cold metal, the dense, heavy feel. "Like...maybe this is some sort of tracker, that...helps get the Floows back to wherever they come from. And, maybe, Sector 7 is different, because this Floow had this. Maybe all Floows have a tracker leading back to Sector 7, instead of cylinders for each Sector. Maybe that's why you guys have only gotten so far into Sector 7, because -"

"We don't have a tracker. Geez, Mario, that's killer smart! So maybe we should just..." Sonic nonchalantly waved his hands in the air, "...run around for a little?"

Mario couldn't help but laugh at Sonic's statement; how true it was, yet it was random and light-hearted at the same time. It lifted his spirits ever so slightly, something he needed at this moment. The atmosphere had been too heavy, too depressing, yet now it felt a little lighter.

Mario handed the cylinder back to Sonic before responding. "Yeah, maybe we can look around, I don't think it'll hurt."

Sonic didn't respond verbally, he rather turned around and began to jog deeper into the outskirts of Sector 7, head bowed as he looked down at Floow cylinder, obviously looking for any change that could indicate anything. Mario caught up to him, and he too looked down at the cylinder.

The duo continued this process for what felt like at least an hour, before Sonic abruptly stopped in his tracks, before hurling the metal tube down the path the two had been running on, letting out a roar of frustration.

"The damn thing isn't doing anything!" Sonic impatiently exclaimed, wringing his hands as Mario stopped next to him, watching the older boy rage.

"Sonic -"

"We're gonna die here, aren't we? Like, this is such dirt! Why are we even -"

"Sonic, listen -"

"You know what Mario, _you_ listen, because I'm gonna go fucking crazy anyway, what's the point -"

"Sonic -"

 _"Mario -"_

"No, Sonic, listen!" Mario shook the Runner roughly by the shoulder, pointing a finger in the direction of the tube. " _Listen!_ "

Sonic sent Mario a murderous look, before glaring in the direction of the Floow tube, yet he was silent. His eyes soon widened when he heard what Mario had been hearing.

Rapid beeping.

The Runner dashed in the direction of the cylinder, scooping it up and looking at the light. He beckoned Mario over, showing it to him.

"Look." he murmured, pointing at the red light. It was blinking even faster now, accompanied with the rhythmic beeping.

"Do you think we're close to something?" Mario whispered. He didn't know why he was whispering, in fact, but there was a general sense of unease suddenly, as if the two were being watched. Sonic looked forward, down the passage they had not gone.

"Let's check it out."

The Runner began walking slowly down the corridor, followed by Mario, who kept looking back at the maze of thin walls, getting the unnerving feeling of being watched. Things were suddenly getting very weird.

"The light is blinking faster...the beeping is getting louder too..." Sonic said, before turning a corner of the corridor that Mario didn't see before.

Both boys were now not looking ahead, just staring at the cylinder in Sonic's hands, watching the light begin to blink faster and faster, the beeper quicker and quicker -

It was understandable that the both of them smashed into the dead end in front of them, until the red light was glowing constantly, and the beeping flat-lined.

"...Wait, this, this can't be a dead end..." Sonic looked around, shaking the cylinder slightly as he looked around, confusion written all over his face. Mario looked around. He was confused too - why would the tracker, or whatever the tube was, lead them to dead end?

"Is this some sort of joke or something?" Mario asked Sonic, and the Runner shrugged.

"I...I honestly don't know -"

The boy paused, and for good reason. The light ceased the glow on the tube, and the noise stopped, before silence filled the corridor. It seemed to take Sonic a few moments to process what just happened, before he threw the cylinder at the ground.

"THAT'S JUST GREAT! JUST FUCKING GREAT! SO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU JERKS WANT - _TABUU -_ BUT THIS BETTER BE A JOKE -!"

Again, Sonic was cut off, this time by a loud, shuddering thud that seemed to come from the dead end in front of them, but Mario wasn't sure.

That is, until the wall began to move.

It seemed to retract into the left wall, a slow, yet oddly smooth movement that made little noise, until it retracted completely in with another small thud. A pitch black corridor lay ahead, nothing that Mario could see into. There seemed to be a breeze coming from the blackness, one that ruffled Mario's hair ever so slightly.

"...Whoa." Sonic remarked, taking one step forward.

"Sonic, what is this?" Mario asked. His voice trembled slightly as he looked into the darkness. There was a general sense of unease coursing through his veins, one that screamed at him to _get out_.

"Mario...Mario, what if...this is our way out." Sonic looked at Mario, eyes wide. "This...this may be it."

Mario paused before responding, unsure of what to say. "...Well...we don't even know what this is. I think we should just head back, tell Link and Snake what we found.

"I think that's the best idea you've had all day," Sonic remarked, inching closer to the dark corridor. He peered in, leaning over the threshold of the sliding slab door. "Yeah, I'm not seeing anything." Sonic backed up, picking the Floow cylinder up off the ground. "Well, let's-"

There was a loud, crashing slam that echoed through the corridor, making Mario nearly leap out of his skin as Sonic cursed. Then another. And another. Another.

The retracted wall that stood in front of Mario and Sonic slammed shut with a ear-splitting bang, making the two boys stumble backwards in a panic.

"Go, go go go!" Sonic yelled, pushing Mario lightly on the shoulder before turning and sprinting away, Mario not far behind. The two boys were already panting as they reached the outskirts of Sector 7, the thin walls unmoving, resolute in stance.

"What's going on?" Mario panted as he caught up to Sonic, who was running as if his life depended on it.

"I don't - shit!" Sonic exclaimed, head whipping to the right, the direction where the slams and groans of what sounded like metal were coming from.

The thin walls that had appeared to be in no similar pattern were now sliding together, cutting off pathways and exits back into the inner Sectors of Subspace as a result. They were quick, efficient - if Sonic and Mario didn't make it back to the inner workings of Sector 7, they would be trapped. Trapped with god knows what.

"Hurry, hurry! We're almost there, we can make it!" Sonic yelled again, and Mario lengthened out his strides in response, and effort to just go a little faster.

A final duo of thin walls were closing at an almost agonizing rate, cutting off Sonic and Mario's chance to escape back into inner Sector 7. Mario's gulps of air were burning in his throat, deafened by the blood roaring in his ears and the heartbeat in his chest. They could make it, they absolutely could -

Mario suddenly fell, face-first onto the ground, the grit of the ground stinging his hands as he did. He didn't stop - heart pounding like mad, he scrambled up, a mad dash toward the rapidly closing walls. Sonic had made it, and seemed to have just realized Mario wasn't behind him. The Runner began screaming, incoherent to Mario's ears as the walls were just sliding shut, panic beginning to well up in Mario's chest.

In a final, fleeting moment to not die, Mario slid in between the closing walls, feeling the resolute walls skimming his arm as they slammed shut a moment after Mario slid through. There was a long pause, before Mario finally let out a shaky breath, the sound of the walls slamming shut ringing in his ears.

More silence, until Sonic lightly shook Mario's shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" the older boy's voice was shaking slightly.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Mario pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly. "That...was..."

"We need to tell Link." Sonic gently got Mario back on his feet, dusting off Mario's shirt with a relieved grin on his face. "I think we just found our way out of here."

* * *

It had taken a while for Mario to regain his bearings (the duo had to wait a few moments in Sector 7 to catch their breath), and when they returned to the Sanctuary, Mario was almost positive it was nearly time for the Smashers to return to the sleeping quarters to wait out another night.

He was right, as Smashers were running around frantically, different Leaders shouting orders to the boys (and girls) as they were all filtering inside. Mario saw Peach flitting inside, but there were different matters at hand.

"Link! Link, we found something!" Sonic was already yelling at the top of his lungs for said Smasher, and when they did find him, Mario observed that stress did not look good on the boy.

His eyes were dull, dark circles under his eyes with a generally cross expression on his face - more than usual. He did seem to perk up a little at Sonic's voice, smiling slightly.

"I'm glad you two are back."

"You won't _believe_ what we found. Seriously, Link," Sonic backed up slightly, as if he needed space to explain the situation. "we ran to Sector 7, the one where you can't really get into the outer section, and guess what? We got in. And even weirder, Mario and I found this crazy passageway-looking thing, nothing like I've ever seen. And we started thinking, well, what if _all_ the Floows have a cylinder in them that's connected to Sector 7? Like a tracker that helps them get back to this one place - our way to get out! It's genius!"

Sonic had rattled that all off incredibly quick, practically in one breath that left Link with a stunned expression. The second-in-command blinked once, then twice, before responding.

"I...you're kidding."

"D'you think I'm kidding?" Sonic waved his hands in the air in almost exasperation. "I mean, seriously -"

"Link! We have to get inside!" Captain's voice rang across the Sanctuary, prompting Link to look back in the direction of the sleeping quarters, before quickly turning back to Sonic and Mario.

"Look...we need to talk later. Get inside, get cozy. Rest up, you two." Sonic looked slightly disappointed in Link's lack of reaction, but the second-in-command smiled. "Sonic, if you're right, I'll name my first child after you. I'm serious. We'll talk, don't worry about it."

Sonic looked a little more satisfied, which prompted him and Mario to jog back to the sleeping quarters.

Mario's heart was still pounding from his ordeal with the walls, but there was a little balloon of hope in his chest from the discovery he and Sonic had made.

* * *

It must've been at least a couple hours since lockdown in the Sanctuary, and Mario was exhausted.

He couldn't fall asleep, however. He needed to stay awake for this, even though Sonic was passed out next to him, practically drooling on Mario, while Luigi was nodding off as well. The last night's horrors still haunted him, and he needed to be ready for anything and everything.

But nothing would've prepared him for what happened next.

There were footsteps outside, a noise that every Smasher tensed up at. Then a voice.

 _Bowser's_ , voice.

* * *

Bowser's incoherent yelling was outside the sleeping quarters.

He definitely did not sound okay to Mario - he sounded crazy, like he lost his mind a long time ago. Every single Smasher grew silent when they realized who their company was, looking from person to person, as if they didn't want him joining everyone in the relative safety of the quarters.

More people seemed to be turning in Link and Snake's direction, waiting for the one of them to make a vital decision of whether or not Bowser could return. Link seemed to be on the edge of speaking, before sighing in defeat and waving a hand as he stood. Snake was only dully staring ahead into the darkness.

"Bring him in and shut him up."

There was a scuffle near the makeshift entrance, two Smashers (Ganondorf and Wolf) dragging the spitting Bowser inside, before letting go of his arms and backing away. The moment Bowser was released, everyone backed farther away from him with baited breath.

The red-haired boy was breathing heavily, his eyes wild in the darkness, smudges of dirt and what looked like blood on his face and clothes. His eyes flitted from person to person, even over Mario, who he didn't provoke (for once).

Link stepped forward, raising a hand. "Bowser, you alright?"

Bowser didn't respond, only wringing his hands and looking frantically at Link.

"Bowser, are you -"

"Yo-you don't ge-get it, do you?" the boy stammered, cutting over Link's question. "W-we're gonna die, the-there's no wa-way out -"

"No, Sonic and Mario found -" Link said. Mario could tell he was fighting down impatience as Bowser cut across him again.

"Th-that kid's go-gonna kill us. He's go-gonna kILL US!" Bowser suddenly screamed, spittle flying from his mouth as he wrung his hands again. "The-they can get in yo-your he-head - I have to get out...!" Bowser turned away from Link, lunging for the poorly made wooden walls, beginning to rip it apart plank by plank. Mario could hear the clicks and screams of Floows entering the Sanctuary for the second night. His heartbeat picked up by about 100 beats.

"Bowser, stop it!" Link yelled, as other Smashers began to fidget in unease, all appearing reluctant to intervene. The two boys were creating noise, _unwanted_ noise. Bowser seemed unaware of the danger just outside their proverbial doorstep, continuing to grab at the walls, ripping off a plank.

"Bowser, _stop_ i-!" Link began to yell, and the next thing Bowser did made Mario stand up around screams and roars of fury from the Smashers, the danger of noise forgotten.

Bowser whirled around, pivoting on one foot before smashing Link over the head with the flat side of the plank, and the second-in-command collapsed to the floor without a sound.

* * *

 **Ahhhhh, does Link survive? You guys will have to wait for the next chapter then ;) I hope to update again ASAP, but please be patient again for the next chapter. Sorry if parts of it seemed rushed, I really needed to finish this before the week began, so I'm writing this at midnight now, haha. I tried to be as clear as possible for you guys! I hope to update as soon as I can - WAY better than the 1 month + wait... I'm SO sorry about that. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, please R &R, and see you soon! ~ALBS**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'd like to apologize for not updating this fanfic in like, practically 2 MONTHS or so. I'm so sorry, but I was so busy and hit a wall in terms of how to go about this chapter...but it is up, and just in time for 2017. I hope this year treats everyone with lots of fun and happiness and no more celebrities die! Because honestly Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds at the very end of 2016, with George Michael like WTF?**

 **Anyway, I'm glad to be back with this chapter, and a recap: Link gets hit in the head with a board and sh*t hits the fan! I'm really hoping to tie up some things, and even though some explanations may seem lame, I will go into more detail in later chapters, because it will fit better. So I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and review, favorite, or follow if you can. Enjoy!**

* * *

Mario's ears were ringing as he watched Link hit the ground, screams from the Smashers around him as the second-in-command heavily collapsed. Two Smashers, Ganondorf and Sonic, sprung toward Bowser, grabbing the hysterical boy's arms in an attempt to restrain him as chaos resumed in the sleeping quarters. Screaming and shouting, people moving frantically, pushing farther and farther from the weakly-built walls, turned toward the main field of the Sanctuary, when no doubt, Floows lurked.

Zelda pushed aside Mario, kneeling next to Link and lifting his upper body off the ground, a hand in his hair. Mario went down next to her. In the darkness, Mario could still see the slickness of blood dripping down Link's brow. Mario couldn't tell if he was breathing or not in the darkness, which made his heart beat even faster.

"THEY'RE GONNA KILL US! IT'S HIS FAULT! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!" Bowser screamed, spittle flying from his mouth as more and more Smashers began to panic. Zelda was continually saying Link's name, shaking him, her voice becoming panicky, higher and higher pitched with fear.

"Is he breathing? Please tell me he's breathing..." Mario muttered, saying the last part more to himself than anything else. Zelda brought an ear close to Link's mouth, eyes wide and darting rapidly across the dark room as she did.

"I-I think so..."

"You _think so_?" Zelda's gaze snapped back up to Mario's face, irritation and fear creased in her face.

"Mario, now's not -"

Zelda was cut off by one of the walls exploding, scattering boards and sticks everywhere inside the sleeping quarters, new screams from the Smashers splitting the air, joining the metallic wails of the Floows.

The hunters had found their prey.

"Help me drag him away from here!" Zelda screamed into Mario's face, as debris flew around them, adding to the ridiculous amount of panic inside the now destroyed sleeping quarters. Mario could hear Sonic's yells over the chaos, but had no idea what direction the yells were coming from.

"Okay!" Mario yelled back, before grabbing Link's legs, hefting him up slightly as he did, while Zelda grabbed the unconscious boy from under the arms. Stumbling, keeping their heads ducked, they shuttled Link toward the back of the sleeping quarters as chaos reigned around them, bringing Mario's heart rate up faster than it had ever gone before.

As they set Link gently down, Mario saw the second-in-command's brow furrow in the dark, teeth slightly gritted. He was alive. Unconscious, but alive.

"Stay with him! I'm going to try and help out!" Mario didn't wait for a response from Zelda as he sprung away from her and Link, ducking and weaving through people and debris. He saw, in the darkness, Sonic and Ganondorf grappling with Bowser, who continued to struggle against their hold, shrieking at the top of his lungs, kicking out frantically as he did.

Mario saw Bowser break free from their holds, and run out into the open of the Sanctuary, where no doubt, more Floows were waiting.

As much as Mario despised Bowser, he wasn't keen to see the boy get Taken, or torn apart by the Floows. Not that night.

Mario ran out of the sleeping quarters, quickly followed by Sonic and Bowser, both boys hollering at either Mario or Bowser to come back. Floow shrieks were all around them, but Mario couldn't tell from exactly where - it sounded as if the air around them was simply replaced by screams.

"Bowser!" Mario yelled once, and was instead answered with a Floow scream, a ways away. He was near the Med-Tent now, the last building that was completely intact. Any sign of danger, and he would flee inside - that was his plan. Mario could still hear Sonic and Ganondorf's cries for him, but he didn't want to respond, in case of Floow lurked nearby. "Bowser!" Mario whisper-shouted, now very aware that this attempt to retrieve the AWOL Smasher was very flawed. He was putting his life on the line for, quite honestly, a guy he disliked...

A twig cracked from somewhere along the wall of the Med-Tent, making Mario jump and whirl around. He nearly cried out in response, but held his tongue, now focused on the large, darkened figure standing just a few feet away.

"Bowser, we gotta go somewhere and hide. Let's cooperate, for once in our lives." Mario said, forcing himself to keep his voice steady.

"I saw what you did, you piece of dirt. You got us here, and you're gonna kill us all. You and that girl. It's all your fault that we're here, that we're stuck here and we keep dying and losing everything and, and -" Bowser cut himself off with a growl of anger, taking a threatening step towards Mario, who backed up, back pressed against the Med-Tent door.

"Bowser," Mario whispered, fiddling with the door opening behind him, unclasping the latch, keeping his eyes fixed on Bowser's hulking figure. He'd run inside, shut the door, lock it, hopefully Bowser wouldn't go on a rampage -

Too late.

Bowser let out a yell of fury, throwing a punch at Mario's head, who barely avoided it, the blow coming in contact with the flimsy door. As the door collapsed, Mario fell backward, before scrambling back up as Bowser delivered another frenzied blow.

Mario heard the air next to his ear whistle as Bowser's curled fist blurred by as he stumbled backward into Luigi's medicine cabinet, before grabbing a glass beaker and hurling it at the larger Smasher. The beaker's shards ricocheted off the wall behind Bowser as the beaker itself shattered, while Mario upset a cot, avoiding another blow from Bowser.

Bowser's swings and jabs were crazed, accuracy poor, striking the containers and shelves around them, bringing different jars and tubes down to the floor in a symphony of shattering glass and roars of fury. Mario was trapped, and no doubt, would the Floows hear the commotion.

As Mario's thoughts were occupied, he was struck. Stars exploded into his vision as Bowser placed a well-executed punch into his cheek, sending Mario tumbling to the ground, not before swinging his legs out to catch Bowser's, making the Smasher crash to the ground. Mario's world was spinning as he steadied himself on a cot, tasting the iron of blood in his mouth and in the distance, hearing the metallic screeches of Floows.

Mario began to stand, but not before a hand closed around his throat, forcing him up and back into the wall. He heard the beakers and jars next to him tremble with the sudden force, and as he tried to breath, the action was cut off brutally with the tightening of Bowser's hands.

His lungs began to burn, mind becoming fuzzy and dumbed down with his quickly depleting supply of oxygen. Bowser's face was contorted into fury as Mario clawed at the older boy's hands, hissing in indignation. Mario weakly kicked out at Bowser, gritting his teeth with the exertion. He couldn't die. Not at the hands of a stupid jerk named Bowser, he'd rather die from getting Taken, or straight-up mauled by a Floow.

As Mario's eyesight began to blur around the edges, his request was answered, as the Med-Tent walls behind Bowser collapsed, a Floow's long, snake-like arms whipping out, grabbing Bowser around the waist and yanking. As Bowser was wrenched away, Mario collapsed to the ground, before standing up straight away, stumbling outside.

In the distance, near the kitchen and sleeping quarters, flames were springing up throughout the Sanctuary, giving an eerie glow to the various scenes unfolding around them. He saw Bowser getting dragged away by the Floow, now, too far away to retrieve. Mario could only watch, an ice-cold chill curling down his spine.

"Mario! Oh god, what the heck just happened?!" That was Sonic, running towards him, flanked by Luigi and Ganondorf, who both looked battered, but were brandishing bludgeons made of wood and scrap metal.

"Bowser! He -" Mario turned to look at the nearing trio, until, with a heart-wrenching shock of surprise, Mario was slammed to the ground, before getting dragged farther and farther away from the trio of Smashers.

"MARIO! NO!" Sonic screamed, as Mario twisted himself around in a panic, grabbing frantically at the ground, ripping up grass and dirt in the process. A metallic arm was dragging him closer and closer to its owner, a wide-mouthed, half-crouched over Floow. The Floow seemed to be making a howling sound, which elicited a screech from Mario, as he began to beat at the arm holding him tight with his free arms and one leg. Ganondorf and Luigi rushed the Floow, streaking past Mario with battle cries, while Sonic ran beside Mario, beating at the Floow's arm with a staff of wood.

Sparks began to fly up from the Floow's arm, combined with Sonic's brutal attacks and Mario's kicks and wrenching. Though the Floows overpowered any Smasher, Ganondorf and Luigi were putting up a merciless attack, making the Floow wail and shriek with every blow.

With a bright shower of sparks, the Floow's arm split, freeing Mario from its hold as the offending creature screamed in what sounded like artificial agony, before it was swamped again by Ganondorf and Luigi. The two Smashers had to occasionally duck and dive out of the way of the Floow's attacks, with both teeth and arms.

Mario stumbled up, Sonic grabbing him by the upper arm. "You okay?" Sonic questioned, moving backwards from the Floow's flailing, dismembered arm.

"Y-yeah, it just -"

Mario was cut off by a shout of victory, followed by a metallic crunch and wail. Ganondorf had managed to rip out the side and lower area of the Floow's face with his bludgeon, sending the metal fragments across the ground as the Floow slunk backward, twitching as it retreated, something Mario had never seen a Floow do before.

"Yeah, beat it! Get outta here, wuss!" Ganondorf bellowed, as Luigi jeered with him.

Mario could only stare at the Floow that was fading away into the darkness. "They still got Bowser..."

"A tough loss, that one." Sonic responded, not even attempting to keep out the bitterness in his voice. "He had it coming, either way. He did almost kill Link..."

Mario didn't hear what Sonic said after that; he was more focused on the shards of metal that lay about them, the metal that had come from the Floow. The metal seemed to make up what would be the Floow's mouth and jaw - among the large, twisted fragments, were long, very sharp, and barb-like points of metal, at least three inches long. Mario picked up a few from the ground - they felt damp, as if coated with a substance of some sort.

It hit him. People got Taken by being bit, and that meant that the stuff that induced the process was in, or _on_ the teeth. And the serum that was in the Med-Tent, made people see things... things from outside Subspace.

And maybe the answer to all the madness surrounding the Smashers.

"Hey, Sonic," Mario said, discreetly pressing the pointed tips of the Floow teeth into his thigh, mentally preparing himself for whatever pain came next.

"Yeah?" Sonic turned to him, and green eyes met blue.

"Be sure to get some of the serum in the next minute or so, would you?"

Sonic's brow furrowed in confusion. "Mario, what do you -"

Mario inhaled sharply, before stabbing himself cleanly into his thigh with the multiple metal teeth. Pain exploded in every nerve in his right leg, and he stumbled backward, where the pain to began to scream and sear its way through every nerve in his body, screaming at him to _stop_ whatever he was doing -

"MARIO! MARIO, WHAT -!" Sonic screamed, and caught him before he hit the ground hard. "Mario, what did you do?!" he shook Mario roughly, his voice laced with almost anger. "MARIO, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"Didn't - you -" Mario could only choke out those two words, mind swimming in pain and delirium. His leg was getting numb.

Realization slowly glossed over Sonic's eyes, eyebrows climbing upwards as he understood.

"Luigi, come here! Mario did..."

Mario's world began to get fuzzy, the voices around him echoing and hurting his ears. His mind was caught between numb bliss and excruciating pain.

He was falling...

Falling...

Falling...

* * *

 _The scene was clearer now. The two teens, one boy and one girl, working across from each other on simplistic, yet futuristic computers. The screens floated in front of them on clear glass, the keyboard only visible as the two teens' fingers danced across the table, buttons lighting up._

 _The girl's eyes continued to flit up into the boy's face, who would sometimes look back with an understanding gaze. One of urgency. And almost fear._

 _People, disappearing one by one to those places, where the groups became trapped. But where? They didn't know where._

 _But they, the two teens, they were the designers. They helped bring the idea in. They helped those hells come into existence. They helped the monsters come to life, even if they didn't know it. Or remember. Why didn't they know where those people - kids - were going?_

 _Pain and fear on subjects' faces. But why?_

 _The supervisors watching over their movements. He couldn't pick out their blurry faces._

 _Maybe it was for the good of everything. They would see, but they didn't remember._

 _It **was** their fault that everyone was trapped, wasn't it? _

_TABUU is good, isn't it?_

 _ **Pain.**_

 _Mingled with fear and the unknown. Every feeling when they try and escape -_

 _Floows bearing down on kids, with their gaping maws and horrific voices._

 _The girl at the computer, programming whatever went into those places._

 _Watching people they maybe knew getting killed every day._

 _Until they got sent in themselves._

 _He didn't understand. He still didn't remember. What was this? Why is this occurring? For the good of life?_

 _TABUU is good._

 _He kept falling, over and over, into scenes of technology, of codes, puzzles, various groups' failed attempts, some making it out..._

 _Falling,_

 _Falling,_

 _Falling._

* * *

"...Is he ever gonna wake up?"

"...Wait...I think he's..."

Mario scrunched up his closed eyes, ears ringing slightly. Everything hurt. He could still feel his leg throbbing painfully, cutting through any wooziness or lesser pain. How long had he even been out?

With a massive effort, Mario forced his eyes to open, his eyesight fuzzy, only being able to pick out dark shapes and white light.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. "Mario? Are you okay?"

"...Urgh..." he could only respond with a mumbling, incoherent sound, and opted for attempting to sit up instead. Mario would've fallen back completely, if it not had been for the pair of hands gripping him by both shoulders, keeping him upright.

"Are you okay?" The person repeated, their voice gentle. Mario's eyesight was focusing now - his gaze fixed on Peach's now not-blurry face, whose face was rather close to his, eyes reflecting concern.

Mario felt his face grow hot at the close proximity of Peach, but he didn't back away. "I...I'm fine." he croaked out, and Peach's face relaxed, but only slightly.

"You sound like you've been better."

"You think?" Mario replied, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. "How long have I been out?"

Peach frowned slightly, shrugging her shoulders. "A day, about. A little more."

"A day? Then -"

"Yeah. Another night. Another Smasher got snatched." Peach stood up from her sitting position on Mario's cot. "Everyone is at the end of their wits. They're thinking...we're thinking, about...making a break for it. The way that you and Sonic found."

"...Oh." Mario nodded slightly. "They're really considering it now, are they?"

"Well, there are some of them...Bowser's friends, they think it's a bad idea. Listening to what you and Sonic say is a stretch for them, so..."

"Right, well - Peach, I had this really weird dream, where we -"

Mario was cut off by the sounding of footsteps, reaching the side of Mario's cot. "There's no more legitimate door, so...Mario, you're up, I see. Finally."

Mario couldn't help but sigh slightly at the interruption, but he turned in his sitting position on his cot, seeing Sonic standing there, arms crossed. Mario was slightly irritated at the interruption, but he held his tongue. He'd have to talk about his vision with Peach later, the vision that confirmed the unknown fear he had about himself.

"You've gotten better way faster than any Taken kid I've seen. And you don't seem...changed, in any way, so to speak."

"I don't...feel any different, I guess. Just sore." that was truthful on Mario's part - he wasn't like Snake, at least. Sonic smiled.

"I'm glad you've recovered. Link is tons better too - he bounced back super quick, Luigi thinks it wasn't _too_ bad, so maybe he was spared a concussion."

Mario sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."

Sonic's smiled faded slightly as he spoke again. "We're thinking about making a break for it now. That place we found...it's the only way we have left."

Mario hesitated to speak, but he forced himself to, his dream rolling around in his head.

"It _is_ the only way out. If we mess up...we'll all die."

* * *

Mario emerged from the half-destroyed Med-Tent about an hour later. He had told Sonic and Peach everything he could remember - his and Peach's involvement before Subspace with TABUU, that the Sector 7 region seemed to be the only way out - but it was all shrouded in uncertainty. He and Peach had something to do with Subspace. Not just being thrown into it, but making it.

But why him? What was so special about him?

The atmosphere was gloomy in the Sanctuary. The sleeping quarters were destroyed. Smoke from fires that had sprung up, still rising steadily into the dark grey sky. It was early morning, according to Sonic. And they were planning to escape that night.

There was no plan, apparently. Just that the people who wanted to leave, would leave. And fight for their lives. Mario's heartbeat picked up every time he thought about the prospect.

Kirby reunited with Mario not long after Mario left the Med-Tent, with a worried expression on his face. As if they communicated with each other telepathically, they both went to one of the collapsed trees by the sleeping quarters and sat down in silence. They watched the Smashers bustle about, trying to recover from another night - one that Mario had been reeling about in dreamworld, not fighting off the Floows.

"Mario, I'm scared." Kirby said after a long while. "I know that we're gonna try and get out of here, but..."

"I'm freaked out too." Mario replied.

Kirby sighed. "And we're just...kids, right? Why would we be here? Why is this TABUU doing what they're doing?"

Mario winced at that. He knew he had something to do with this. He had something to do as to why Kirby was here, why everyone was here. But he didn't know the exact reason, and that was what worried him.

"...I don't know."

* * *

 **A very lowkey way to end the chapter, but it was getting lengthy and everyone will be reintroduced in the next chapter! For this fanfic, I'm only expecting about a few more chapters maybe? I've loved writing this fanfic, I have to say that, and I'm super excited to soon be writing the conclusion :) So, just hang on tight for the next chapter (I don't know when that'll be...), and I hope y'all enjoyed! R &R! ~ALBS**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hello everyone, ALBS here. First off, its been 6+ months since I've updated any story on this site really, half end-of-school woes and half procrastination and general writers block have contributed to this general stretch of inactivity. It's now summer break for me, but I am overseas, and I keep hitting a stupid brick wall in terms of making anything that is really story-progressive rip. I write stuff and then I'm like dELETE but I've (kinda) got my groove back! So I am so sorry to anybody who was like is she ever gonnna update? Cuz I'm back! If you have no idea what's happening in this chapter, skip your way back a few chapters and you'll figure out what's popping with Mario and the gang. I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for sticking around :) Let me know if you find any grammatical or awkward mistakes please. Also, this is a LOOOONNNGG chapter :))**

 **Disclaimer : I own nothing**

* * *

The air was dead in the Sanctuary, a sensation that was sending shivers down Mario's spine. It was all coming down to this - a fight for every Smasher's life against some sort of experiment, or whatever Subspace was, that had gone haywire. Mario could see desperation in every person's eyes, unshed tears of frustration and fear, tense statures and faces, or what simply looked like depression.

But there were many with determination in their expressions, eyes blazing with anger and exasperation of the months and years they had suffered. Anger at TABUU, for screwing up whatever lives they had before Subspace - the sheer thought of having a life outside of the weeks that Mario had spent in Subspace was staggering. Maybe, just maybe, if they got out whatever hell they were in, he could have a real life.

Mario made the assumption that the possibility of a _regular_ life was what kept him determined. They'd get through this.

He also needed to look strong, for Kirby, mostly. The poor kid looked like he was going to cry any second, something Mario noticed when they were walking around the dead fields of the Sanctuary - the pudgy teen had a blank stare on his face, eyes dull.

"Hey, you okay?" Mario said, before clearing his throat. His voice could've been better.

Kirby's eyes flickered in his direction. "...Yeah."

Mario didn't say anything back in reply, and Kirby took a deep breath.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure. Yeah, go ahead." Mario looked at the young boy.

"...I've...always wondered. My parents - d'you - d'you think they're still...out there? Wherever 'out there' is?" Kirby asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Right. None of them remembered anything outside of Subspace. No parents.

Mario could only smile, a tight one at that. "Kirby," he roughly patted the boy on the back. "I promise you, the first thing we do when we get outta here...find your parents."

Kirby smiled cheekily.

"Really?"

"Seriously. I promise. We'll drop everything the instant we get out of this hellhole, and go on a journey to find your parents. I promise." Kirby smiled. A bright spark had appeared back in his eyes again.

"Thanks, Mario."

"No problem. I promise you, remember that."

Kirby seemed relieved, but it didn't hide the continued expression of worry that was deeply set into his face. Everything was an if now. _If_ they got out. _If_ they found their parents. Nothing was for sure inside the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary itself was crumbling from the inside, the former foundations of the teetering social structure collapsing in on itself.

Divisions between the teens were more defined than they ever had - between the ones who sought to stay in the Sanctuary, with the chance that the crisis may blow over, and the ones who were compelled to leave the Sanctuary, and find a way out. Mario was in the latter party.

To be frank, Mario had been ready to leave Subspace the instant he and Sonic found that mysterious, dark passageway in Sector 7. That is, if they hadn't triggered some booby trap that'd almost killed them. His prediction was that the feat of getting out of Subspace with a larger group of people would, dare he say it, result in deaths.

"Mario?" Kirby spoke, his voice trembling, breaking Mario's thoughts.

"Yeah? Are you okay?" Mario asked, seeing the fear in Kirby's face, his eyes oddly bright.

"…I'm scared."

For once, Mario had no way of consoling, or even responding, to the younger Smasher.

* * *

Mario found Link in the Gathering building, sitting alone in one of the rickety chairs. His hands were clasped together, eyes focused on the wall opposite to him, not blinking. He didn't even notice Mario entering the building.

"Link?"

Link abruptly sat up, turning slightly to look at Mario, an expression of mild surprise on his face.

"Oh, it's you. Hey, Mario." Link said, voice laced with the drug of exhaustion, before he went back to staring at the wall.

Mario awkwardly rocked back and forth from foot-to-foot in the doorway, silence filling the room as he looked around the squat building, most of it covered in shadow.

"...So, um...are you okay?" He made the effort of a conversation starter, to fill the blank void that Link was making no effort to get rid of.

"Me? I'm...yeah, I'm fine. I think. Everything's..." Link waved his hand in the air slightly. "Fuzzy."

Mario rocked back and forth on his feet, clearing his throat. "Yeah. I can imagine, getting clocked on the head with a chunk of wood. That's..."

"Unfortunate? Yeah, I agree with you." Link finished Mario's sentence, before slouching again in his seat, shaking his head. "...I don't even know if we can do this. As such a large group, it's..."

"Impossible?" Mario offered up a word he didn't want to say. It just made the situation appear even worse than it should be.

Link sighed, closing his eyes. "Yeah."

There was a moment of tense silence, before Link stood up, albeit shakily. He shook his head as he did, to which Mario stepped up to Link, grabbing his upper arm.

"Here. You look dizzy." Link smiled at Mario, shaking his head again.

"Damn Bowser." his eyes flashed. "Poor fucker is probably dead. Well," Link gently shook Mario's hand from his arm, pushing the flimsy wooden door open. "I think tonight will be the night. Be ready, 'kay?"

"Are you... sure, you'll be okay? We can't have you running around with your head spinning too."

"I'll be fine. I think my head hurting will be the least of our problems." Link didn't give Mario a chance to respond as he walked out of the building, leaving Mario in a typical silence.

* * *

"Peach? Could I talk to you?"

Mario broke Peach from the obvious focus she'd had in securing down medical packs for Luigi. As she stood up to see her interrupter, her expression shifted from annoyance to mild surprise at Mario's presence.

"Oh, hey, Mario. Um," Peach glanced backwards at the other helpers around the destroyed Med-Tent, who were all preoccupied with their own duties. She looked back at Mario, biting her lip. "sure."

Peach grabbed Mario's wrist, pulling him aside to behind a dead tree. She brushed out her pants, grass and dust floating off the fabric.

"So, what did you want to say?" Peach questioned, brushing sunlight-blonde hair out of her face. Mario mulled over his thoughts for a brief moment, attempting to figure out what to say to the girl.

"Um... well, ah..." Mario mumbled, and an amused look crossed over Peach's face.

"Did you just want to stammer in front of me, or what?" she said, the hint of a laugh in her voice.

"No! I mean, you know, you remember that I told you I had a really odd dream when I got Taken?"

Peach glanced around slightly. "Vaguely. Why?"

"It was - definitely - about TABUU." At that name, Peach's expression turned somber, and her brow knit together. "We... well, you were in it, and - I think -" Mario made the effort to lower his voice, getting that odd feeling that someone would be listening either than Peach. "We _worked_ \- or something - with or in - TABUU." his voice faded off at the end of his statement, and Peach's eyes turned steely.

"I - I don't remember anything like that," Peach remarked, but her statement seemed rushed, like she was making an extreme effort to appear like she didn't remember anything.

When in fact, she may actually remember something.

"Are you... sure?" Mario raised a brow, catching Peach's rushed response. Peach's face didn't reveal anything to Mario - he was bad at reading people's expressions, much less a girl's expressions.

"Yeah. I don't... recall anything like that. I just... I know, for sure, I don't like TABUU. It's not... right." Peach seemed to be grasping for words, biting her lip.

A long silence followed the two, as Mario mulled through his thoughts. He'd surely thought that Peach would understand _something_ about his dream. After all, she was really the only Smasher who'd actually remembered her past early on (even though she'd forgotten). Mario shifted from foot to foot in silence, as Peach chewed on her lip, crossing her arms.

"I think..." she began after a while, sighing heavily. "We shouldn't worry about that right now. We've got plenty of other things to worry about, and we have to stay focused. It'll... it'll make the difference between dying and not dying. Okay, Mario?" Peach grabbed Mario's hands in hers. Her hands were warm, and uncharacteristically soft, unaccustomed to the hard work in the Sanctuary. Mario felt his face warm slightly.

Peach smiled, lightly squeezing his hands. "I'll talk to you later. I promise -"

"Peach! Where are you? You better not be lying around like a lazy bum!" Luigi's voice wafted over to Mario and Peach, making Peach jump slightly. She quickly let go of Mario's hands, before backing away.

"That's Luigi," she laughed slightly, looking backwards, her messy braid swinging over her shoulder. "I promise I'll talk to you again, okay?"

"Okay," Mario dumbly responded, putting his arms behind his back. "Yeah, okay."

" _Peach!_ " Luigi's voice was sharper now, more frantic. Peach quickly backed away now, smiling slightly as she waved a light goodbye to Mario, before jogging back to the Med-Tent.

Mario sniffed slightly, mildly disappointed at his lack of answers from Peach. He'd really hoped she knew something. After all, she was a bit like him - both were outsiders in weird ways, and a few people blamed them for basically the same things - the sun disappearing, people dying, the Floows.

But now, Mario felt more lonely in his quest to find what was really happening inside TABUU, with his involvement, and most definitely, Peach's.

Mario kicked at a small rock in front of him as he walked out into the open field of the Sanctuary, looking upwards at the grey sky. The eerie silence of the Sanctuary chilled Mario to his very bone - there was no wind anymore, no rain. The Sanctuary no longer felt alive, or safe. It felt like a prison more than ever now.

"Hey Mario, could you help us out with this?"

Mario turned at the voice, Samus', with Meta and Marth with her. Samus had a slight smile across her face, arms crossed.

"We need help organizing all of the Runner equipment. Mind figuring out with us which stuff is more valuable to take along?" her voice was warmer than it typically was, but her eyes maintained a sharp, military-like discipline.

"Yeah, sure." Mario walked up to the trio, feeling a slight relief at being able to help some Smashers. It was awkward if he was the only Smasher who was doing nothing to help and just mulling around the Sanctuary, watching others work.

"We need to get rid of all the maps we've compiled of Subspace. They're useless now, now that the walls and Sectors have stopped moving." Samus shrugged, smirking lightly. "It is pretty useful though, to at least memorize the order at which the Sectors open up."

"And what's that?" Mario question, taking a couple jogging steps to keep up with Samus' brisk pace.

"Five, eight, one, four, seven, three, two, six. Doesn't make much sense, but it's useful enough. Helps us from not running into closed Sectors. Easiest way to die in Subspace. Reaching a dead end."

For an uncomfortable moment, Mario had the nervous feeling that the order of numbers Samus had just rattled off would become important later on.

Five eight one four seven three two six.

Mario pushed the disturbing thought from his head.

Now he was just making up things.

* * *

Night was close, Mario could tell.

He could tell with the darkening of the blank sky, as well as his heart beating progressively faster and faster as the day went on. All of the other Smashers could obviously tell as well - many would periodically look up at the sky, faces traced with worry. Others would group together with their friends, appearing to console one another or try to inject humor into one another.

When Link's voice sounded out across the Sanctuary, it was as if his voice triggered an alarm of slight panic and fear across all of the Smashers. It took less than a few minutes for (nearly; some Smashers, mostly friends of Bowser's, were choosing to stay behind) all the Smashers to group near the destroyed kitchen quarters.

Link stood with Snake, who was being slightly supported by his second-in-command. Yet, Snake's eyes were alert, flickering across the crowd, drinking in everyone's face.

As the crowd of Smashers quieted down, Link inhaled deeply before speaking.

"We can't stay in the Sanctuary no longer. We're leaving - tonight.

"I know we're all scared - I, personally, want to dirt my pants right now. But this is our only way to see if we can actually get out of this hell. Sonic and Mario, practically our saviors, got a tracker of sorts from a Floow. It'll get us into Sector 7, and we'll find a section that we've never went in before. I, personally, think that's our way out here." Link shakily inhaled, licking his lips as he shook his head abruptly. Snake groaned slightly from next to him.

"We'll meet Floows in there. Some of us... will -" Link hesitated to speak, before swallowing. "Will - die. I think. But I hope to God not. Because, if that happened -" Link broke off. He was losing his resolve, to Mario, at least.

"We're gonna do this. And we'll make it, I'm... sure, of it." Snake suddenly spoke, his voice strong, even though externally, he seemed exhausted. "Failure... isn't an option. We're fighters. We can do this!" the leader of the Smashers abruptly injected more power into his voice, sounding almost angry. "And if we die, at least we did fighting."

The Smashers seemed emboldened at Snake's exclamation, and they all shifted - some adjusting their packs, others shifting their makeshift or actual weapons from hand to hand.

"Mario and Sonic will lead us. Since the Floows will be coming here, we're hoping there will be less out in Subspace. Nevertheless, we've gotta be careful. Stick together. Help each other." Link said, and he looked at Mario, a determined look set across his face. Mario sharply inhaled, and looked through the crowd of Smashers to Sonic, who was looking back at him. The Runner smiled, before looking at Link.

"We'll all get there safely." Sonic said, his trademark smirk plastered onto his face.

Link smiled back at Sonic, and the group of Smashers shifted again, now tense with adrenaline and excess energy. Mario looked around the crowd again, and his eyes locked with Peach's, who stood a ways away. She smiled, but the action didn't reach her eyes.

"Mario! Get up here!" Link's voice broke Mario from his staring contest with Peach, and hesitating slightly, Mario looked away, before moving up to where Link, Snake, and now Sonic were standing.

Link handed Mario the Floow-tracker, his face set.

"We're depending on you two," Link said, looking from Mario to Sonic. He grinned slightly. "No pressure."

Sonic snorted, but his expression quickly turned serious. "We won't let you down. Right, Mario?"

Mario could only nod, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"You two will lead us outta the Sanctuary. Snake and I will be in the back - keep an eye out for the stragglers, and not to put strain on Snake." Link said, his brow furrowed. "Try and navigate in the safest way possible - we can't take any big risks that you could take when you're in a small group. I don't want a lot of people fighting."

"Roger that." Sonic acknowledged, performing a mock salute at Link's instructions. The second-in-command rolled his eyes, a slight smile on his face.

"I'm glad you get it." Link grabbed both Sonic and Mario's shoulders, a sad smile on his face. "Whatever happens, just know that you two... are my friends. Best friends."

Sonic only smiled, nodding slightly. Mario couldn't help but smile, but the moment of kindness was as quick as it had appeared.

Link backed away from the two, before shouting instructions at the rest of the Smashers. Stick together. Only fight when necessary. Stay as close to Mario and Sonic as possible. Don't panic.

Don't die.

As Mario and Sonic began to jog toward the closest entrance to Subspace, the entrance that was the closest to Sector 7, Mario couldn't believe that this was happening.

It was do or die now.

* * *

The instant the Smashers stepped into Subspace, packs secured, torches lit, Mario felt a chill that bubbled at the base of his skull and went down his spine. Any moment now, they would begin to hear the screams of Floows, those behemoths that send both fear and anger through Mario's veins at the same time. In his hands, he clutched the Floow tracker, tightly. He couldn't risk dropping it, or worse, losing it in whatever chaos they would face.

"Take a left!" Sonic yelled, as the message traveled backwards through the Smashers. Mario winced at the ruckus the Smashers were causing - Floows would be on top of the them in no time if they continued to yell back and forth to each other.

But there weren't, for at least 15 minutes of tense run-jogging - Sonic leading the group through Subspace, nearing closer and closer to Sector 7. The last time he and Mario had gone into Sector 7, it'd taken them at least an hour to get there. On the other hand, they had entered Subspace from the opposite end - the lack of moving walls, and closer entrance, would possibly cut the journey at least in half. Hopefully, Mario wasn't entirely sure.

The first Floow scream the Smashers heard made nearly every single Smasher murmur, the concentration of people elevating what would've been a quiet exclamation to practically the size of a hearty shout. Sonic looked at Mario, his face red in the darkness of Subspace.

"How close did that sound?" Sonic breathed, and Mario shook his head. Not too close, but close enough.

"I don't know -"

Mario was cut off by a multitude of screams from the back of the group, making Mario turn his head to see the commotion.

Two Floows stalking toward the group were right behind them, screaming and screeching at the sight of an unnaturally large group of human beings. Mario's heart leapt into his throat as Sonic began to scream at the group to run, and that they were so close of the outer rim of Sector 7 -

Sonic's more panicked, inhuman-sounding scream made Mario skid to a stop, making a few Smashers crash into Mario, making him stagger forward as he looked upwards.

A Floow stood some yards away, and Mario realized how terrible their predicament was. There were in a narrow corridor of Subspace - the only path to Sector 7 was the path behind the one Floow in front of them. They couldn't turn back either, there were two Floows behind them.

They were trapped.

The Smashers bunched together in a small ball as the Floows began to slowly close into the Smashers, their shrieks filling Mario's heard. They were _so damn close_ -

"What do we do?" Mario heard Link's yell over the increased panicking of the Smashers - Mario saw a few, Ganondorf and Samus for one, brandishing their weapons, a few, Kirby and Lucas, cowering in the center of the circle.

"We need to fight our way through that Floow." Sonic yelled, pointing at the Floow in front of the group.

"We can't fight two sides at the same time! We'll get split up!" Mario rebuked at Sonic, whose eyes darted frantically around Subspace in the dark. Mario looked back at Link, who was looking back and forth at the Floows, teeth gritted.

"What other idea do you have, Mario?!" Sonic spit, as he pulled out his weapon, a machete, eyes trained on the Floow just a few yards away.

Mario gripped the Floow tracker tighter, just as Link's panicked shouts echoed across the corridor.

"Snake, what are you doing?! Snake, STOP IT!"

Sonic gasped at the sound of the ruckus, and began to push through the group of Smashers toward Link's end. Mario followed, and as he forced himself through the last line of Smashers, Sonic was already holding Link back from Snake.

Snake was standing in between the Smashers and the two Floows, leaning heavily on his makeshift staff.

"Snake, come back here!" Sonic harshly exclaimed, as he jerked back Link, who was fighting to get to Snake. The leader of the Smashers shook his head.

"No."

"Snake, I mean it!" Sonic spoke again, his voice high-pitched now. "What are you doing?!"

"Listen to me!" Snake growled, looking back at the two Floows behind him, who had stopped stalking forward, but looked ready to lunge. "You can't get past that fucker over there -" Snake pointed at the singular Floow at the opposite end of the group, "-unless you distract the other two here."

"Snake..." Mario murmured. Sonic's eyes widened, before he shook his head.

"N-no, Snake, you're not doing that! C'mon, stop joking around and let's go!"

"I'm the leader, and you listen to me, Sonic!" Snake yelled, and one of the Floows behind him shrieked in response. "I need to protect you guys, and this is my way of doing it! Link, listen to me, _you're_ leader now. And don't argue!" Snake barked as Link opened his mouth to rebuke. "This is the only way!"

"No, this isn't!" Sonic yelled, shaking his head. "Snake, shut up, get back here! You can't do this, you can't -"

"Sonic, get back to the front of the group." Link said, his voice barely audible. Sonic hissed, breaking his grip off of Link's now limp shoulders.

"Fuck you, Link -"

" _Get back_ , Sonic! Snake," Link took a step forward toward Snake, and the ex-leader of the Smashers stepped backwards, closer to the Floows. Mario could see saliva - or poison - dripping from the Floows' gaping black maws. Link took a deep breath, and Mario saw his eyes glimmer in the weak light of the torches. "P-please, Snake, get back here."

Snake only smiled, as one of the Floows shrieked again. "Thank you, Link, for being my friend." Link shook his head, voice frantic.

"N-no, _Snake_ -"

Time seemed to slow down for Mario as Snake began to turn around to face the Floows. The ex-leader's gaze locked on to Mario's, and he smiled, a sad, tight smile as he turned completely. Snake lifted his staff from the ground, and began to shakily walk toward the Floows, who wailed at his nearing presence. Link began to scream at the Smashers to push forward, and fight the singular Floow off.

Sonic screamed not at the Smashers, but at Snake, the sound ripping through Mario's ears, making his hair stand on end.

Mario watched, numb, as Snake beat away one, two Floow arms, before he was yanked into the darkness, the Floows shrieks becoming ones of victory, at the first blood drawn.

* * *

 **I'm getting the vibe that this will be the second or third to last chapter of this fic... Because the Maze Runner is a trilogy (quartet? Quintet, now that there's like five books out now, whatever) this fanfic will likely be a trilogy as well! Again, thank you so much for reading, and stick around; I won't leave for six months now! Thanks again friends, and peace ~ALBS**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Hey, I'm back after only what, 2 weeks?!**

 **Anyway, ALBS here, and if I have to say it, this will likely be the second-to-last chapter in this wonderfully crazy fanfic. It's been so fun writing this fanfic, and I cannot wait to wrap this one up and start the second saga of Mario and the Smashers' journey! I don't know why I am not saying this in the LAST chapter, but I'll just say this now. I'm planning for when this fanfic ends, I'll leave for a little bit from writing anything Subspace Runner related. Not for a really long time, less than a month I'm thinking, but enough to give my brain a break. After that short hiatus from the Super Smash fandom, I'll be back! Anyway, please enjoy this chapter everyone :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Also sorry for killing lots of people in this chapter :)/**

* * *

The battle cries of the Smashers echoed through Mario's head as he watched the Floows ravage Snake in the darkness, but he was quickly forced to turn away, as the group of Smashers had managed to subdue the one Floow blocking their way.

"Mario, let's go!" Mario heard Link's voice over the chaos, and with one last hesitant look backwards, Mario shoved the Floow tracker underneath his arm before dashing behind Link, whose limp had practically disappeared. As they passed the now flailing, weakly twitching Floow, having been overwhelmed by the volume of attackers, Mario saw a small body curled up near the left wall of the corridor, unmoving. A chill ran through Mario as he looked away, more focused on the path ahead.

As the group ran on, some supporting their wounded friends, others screaming at each other in frustration and fear, some silent, Mario heard the angry screams of Floows accumulating behind them in the distance.

He hated this.

He absolutely hated this.

They were reaching the outer shell of Sector 7, just as the tracker in Mario's hands resumed its beeping and blinking, making Mario's heart skip a beat. They were so close, Mario could almost cry. But at this point, it felt like they were barely halfway there. As Mario forced his legs to move him to the front of the group, he scanned the group for familiar, still alive faces.

Kirby was in the middle of the pack, his pudgy face tomato red in the torchlight, sweat soaking the front of his shirt, his curly hair plastered to his forehead. His eyes were wide in fear as he looked from Smasher to Smasher, and as his gaze met Mario's, he smiled slightly in relief. Mario returned the action, before he scanned the group some more.

Ganondorf was there, his bulky figure carrying many packs and weapons. Marth, Samus, and Meta were are there, closer to the front of the group behind Sonic. Their faces were etched with determination, Samus' cut-up but pretty face serious, Meta and Marth's expressions similar in intensity. Luigi was there, his pack of medical supplies making him bend over slightly from the weight, Zelda running next to him. Her hair was wrapped in a low bun, strands of hair sticking to her face and neck, lips parted in a constant pant for air.

Peach was near Zelda, her face tense in expression, brow furrowed. She seemed to be forcing down her fear, as her eyes darted every which way. Sonic was at the very front of the group, tear tracks staining his grime-covered face, emerald eyes glittering in the light of the torches the Smashers carried. Link was farther towards the back than the front, his limp slowing him down to the point where he looked frustrated as his physical limits.

The wind picked up as the group of Smashers began to navigate their way through the thin, broken-up walls of the outer Sector 7. Mario ran next to Sonic, but neither of them spoke. Mario only pointed in the direction they were supposed to go, according to the intensity of the light and quickening of the beep emitting from the tracker, while Sonic kept his eyes ahead, scanning the Sector for any threats. The screams of Floows were echoing through the Sector, to the point where Mario felt as if they were on top of the group instead of gathering in large groups a ways behind the Smashers.

Mario looked back at the group as they turned a corner, just as Lucas, one of the younger Smashers, stumbled and fell. Just as he fell, Captain grabbed the younger boy, carrying Lucas over his shoulder, so Lucas' face was turned toward the back of the group. Mario heard a shrill scream from the boy, before he shouted,

"THEY'RE RIGHT THERE!"

"We're almost there!" Sonic yelled as panicked shouts began to ripple through the group. He grabbed Mario's wrist, forcing him to look forward. "There!"

A dark dead end was nearing the group as the tracker in Mario's hands flat-lined, the red light remaining solid. Mario almost whooped in joy, but his mind was also on the group of Floows right behind them, according to Lucas.

"What are you talking about?! That's a damn dead end!" Samus screamed as more Smashers joined in her mutiny.

"Yeah, what the hell?!"

"Is this some sort of suicide mission?!"

"SHUT UP!" Sonic screamed back as they reached the dead end. Sonic pounded his fists on the unyielding black slab, looking back at the group. Not far away was a group of about five Floows, stalking toward them, screaming and wailing to a nearly unbearable pitch. "Why isn't it opening?!" Sonic exclaimed, looking at Mario, just as the tracker's light died.

"I-I don't know, just give it -"

"We don't have time to give it time! Make it do something!" Sonic spat as the Smashers began to shift restlessly, pushing each other farther back into the dead end. Mario helplessly smacked the tracker with one hand, heartbeat pounding in his head.

They were going to die.

Mario almost completely lost his mind until, with the silence and swiftness of a light breeze, the door slid open, making Mario fall back into the darkness of the unknown. As soon as the door opened, all the Smashers, in a scrambling, frantic fashion, pushed each other into the darkness, weakly lit up by the few torches some people carried. When every single Smasher was in darkness, the sliding door slammed shut, cutting off the furious Floows and their wailing cries, as the Smashers were plunged into almost complete darkness.

And absolute silence.

Every single Smasher was silent, save for the heavy, frantic breathing that emanated through the group. In the low light of the torches, Mario saw Sonic's flabbergasted expression, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"What," Sonic breathed, "the actual _fuck_ just happened?"

Silence met the runner's questioning remark, before he and Mario stood up. As they did, Mario grabbed Sonic's arm.

"Whoa. Look out." Mario said, looking down at the ground.

He and Sonic had been perched on the very edge of the concrete they were standing on, which now appeared to be a relatively narrow walkway. Mario looked down into the pitch-black below, as a few pebbles crumbled off the edge, disappearing into the pit.

"This is hairy," Sonic murmured, as the other Smashers began standing up with them. The few carrying torches held the weak sources of light higher into the dead air, trying to disperse the light.

Mario couldn't see much, mostly just the glowing faces of the other Smashers and more of the concrete walkway forward in the firelight. Every word and movement seemed to echo in the dark chamber.

"What do we do?" Mario whispered to Sonic, who shrugged in response. Mario didn't even know why he was whispering. The whole atmosphere of the darkness surrounding them, the narrow walkway, was unsettling. The Smashers were still huddling in their group, whispering to each other uneasily. Mario had the intuition that they had to keep walking down the path, but with the pitch darkness ahead, it wasn't welcoming.

But, it wasn't _completely_ dark.

The longer Mario looked, the more he noticed a tiny, red light farther down the walkway, slowly, almost ambient in blinking on and off.

He nudged Sonic, pointing down the walkway in the direction of the light.

"Look," he said, as Sonic squinted into the darkness."there's a light."

Sonic nodded slowly, stepping forward. "Yeah, I see it. What d'you say?" he looked at Mario, raising a brow.

"We should go check it out." Mario said, looking back at the group. They were all silent, but some looked at Link, who was standing toward the back. That was expected - he was, according to succession, the new leader.

Link limped forward, taking a deep breath.

"I don't like it. But," he looked away, chewing his lip before responding. "I don't think we have any other choice."

"You don't like this, compared to what's outside those doors?" Sonic responded, albeit in a slightly joking manner. Link smiled, but the expression quickly disappeared.

"It's too easy." the leader of the Smashers remarked, walking up next to Mario and Sonic. He looked forward, gazing at the tiny red light as he shook his head slightly. "It's just..." he waved a hand in the direction of the light. "that simple?"

"I'll take simple," Sonic muttered as he looked around once more. "We've been through enough."

The runner began to walk down the path, as the rest of the Smashers followed. There were less than 15 of them left. Making a quick calculation in his head, Mario realized five had been killed already. Horrifically, he'd barely noticed until now.

As they began to get closer and closer to the small red light ahead, Mario heard an odd, clicking sound from behind, slightly above their heads. A chill went up his spine as he stopped, as the last of the group went in front of him.

Mario turned around, and almost screamed in panic.

Countless pairs of red, wide eyes were above Mario's head, all belonging to Floows. Mario realized they were latched to the walls behind and around the walkway, staring at the group of Smashers walking by them. They were shockingly quiet, but when Mario turned to look at them, their clicking increased in volume and intensity.

"Guys..." Mario said, his voice trembling. Kirby, toward the back, turned at Mario's voice.

"What?" he asked, his voice echoing through the darkness. Mario heard the Floows rustle restlessly above him.

"Whatever you do," Mario breathed, "don't look up, and tell the group to move faster."

"Why...?" Kirby began to ask, and his eyes flitted upward.

"NO!" Mario exclaimed, just as Kirby opened his mouth to scream.

Kirby's shriek made the Floows' eyes brighten and grow wider, as a horrible, drawn-out wail reverberated through all the Floows, their red gazes illuminating the blackness with an eerie red glow. The Smashers ahead of Mario turned in shock, before one of Floows lunged at Mario and Kirby.

"RUN!" Mario screamed, grabbing Kirby's arm as the Smashers and Floows cried out, the group of teenagers fleeing, the Floows giving chase along the walls and walkway.

Mario heard the thud of the Floow land behind him and Kirby as they caught up to the Smashers.

This place, Mario realized, was where the Floows hid during the day.

This was their home.

As the group began to near the red light at the end of the walkway, the red light disappeared, before more red outlined a circular door of some sort, an electronic display appearing on the door. The door was large, more than enough room for a person, if not multiple people to walk through at the same time. When the Smashers reached it, Sonic pounded both fists on the door, before a display flickered to life on the door.

 _'CODE?_ ' It said, before a password bar appeared underneath the word, a large number pad next to the bar.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Sonic screamed as the Smashers all turned at the sounds of the nearing Floows.

"People with weapons, to the front! The youngest stay back!" Link yelled as the group changed into position, ready to fight back against the Floows, even if it meant with the cost of their lives. Mario was jostled to the back with Kirby, along with Peach and Zelda.

As the first Floow lunged at the Smashers, battle cries echoed through the chamber as Mario turned to look at the password display level with his head.

It was a seemingly standard password bar, with a number pad next to it, oddly numbered 1 - 8.

They had no code. But they couldn't fight Floows forever.

"Why is it only one through eight?!" Zelda shrieked as she scanned over the door, as if trying to look for any additional clues. Mario heard a blood-curdling scream from behind them, followed by cries of shock from the Smashers. He shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the horrors behind them. "Mario, why is it one through eight?!" Zelda tightly grabbed Mario's arm, shaking him.

"Sectors!" Peach suddenly said from next to Mario, looking at him and Zelda. "Sectors!" she repeated, as an expression of realization crossed over Zelda's face.

"Mario, what's the order the Sectors open in Subspace?" Zelda said frantically, to which Mario shook his head.

"I-I don't -"

"SONIC! WHAT'S THE ORDER SECTORS OPEN IN SUBSPACE!" Zelda screamed over the madness behind them.

"YOU'RE ASKING ME THIS _NOW_?" Sonic's voice echoed through the din, and Mario saw a brief glimpse of him, ducking underneath a Floow's frenzied swing of a long, metallic arm.

"JUST SAY IT!" Zelda screamed, now irritated.

"F-FIVE!" Sonic yelled over the chaos, as Kirby, closest to the pad, pressed a finger down on the number five. The pad glowed green briefly, before going back to red.

"EIGHT -!" Sonic yelled once more, before crying out in anger, as he'd been nearly struck by a Floow. Kirby pressed the number eight, before turning around, wide-eyed, waiting for the next number.

"One, four!" Samus fell backwards toward Mario as she said those numbers, before batting away a wandering Floow arm that had neared Kirby and the number pad with a makeshift staff.

"Samus, look out!" Zelda yelled, before pushing Samus out of the way of a clawed Floow hand.

Zelda fell to the ground heavily as she was struck across the back, two thin slashes clean across her back from the hand as Samus beat it away. Zelda shrieked in pain and indignation as she bent over, back arching at the pain.

"Zelda!" Mario yelled, taking the few strides toward her before kneeling. Blood was leaking through Zelda's thin shirt as she hissed in pain, Mario wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Zelda, you idiot - seven!" Samus began, before calling out the next number to Kirby, who Peach was now shielding from any wandering Floows. She batted back another Floow's arm with a grunt of effort

"Zelda, we gotta get you by Kirby!" Mario said into Zelda's ear as she gritted her teeth in pain.

"Samus... would've been worse off... than I am now," she breathed, resting her head on Mario's shoulder.

Mario began to drag Zelda backwards, practically duck-walking in reverse. "The claws... the claws aren't infected, I think, you're not gonna get Taken..."

"Wow, a blessing," Zelda murmured sarcastically, shifting slightly. "I'll be fine, really -"

"Not now, Zelda!" Mario rebuked, as Samus turned back to say the next two numbers. The runner ducked a Floow's arm as she did, her steel-like eyes flashing. Mario heard another scream from a Smasher, but he didn't know who. He didn't want to even think about who it was now - had it been Sonic? Link? Luigi? Captain?

Mario pushed the thoughts from his head, only focusing on dragging Zelda back to relative safety.

"Three and two!"

"Three and two!" Kirby's panic-ridden voice repeated as Mario backed up completely against the door, pulling Zelda close.

"It's six! Six, Kirby!" Peach shrieked, as Kirby's chubby, short finger hovered over the number.

Kirby didn't get the chance to press the number, as a Floow had rapidly crawled up over the edge of the walkway near the door. Peach screamed, wrenching away Kirby from the pad as the Floow angrily shrieked, taking a swipe where Kirby had been moments before.

Peach ducked down next to Mario, to which the Floow crawled onto the walkway, bearing down the quartet backed up against the door.

Mario hugged Zelda tighter, shutting his eyes tight. He didn't want to die; but his chances weren't looking good. There was nothing he could do, the keypad was too high up, too far away. He had no weapon, and he was trying to use himself as a shield for Zelda in the first place. He heard Peach's panicked breathing from next to him, Kirby's whimpering.

Mario waited for the blow, the feel of poisoned teeth ripping through his flesh, claws tearing him to pieces.

But nothing of that sort came, instead a furious, rallying cry and the clang of metal against metal.

Mario opened his eyes slightly, to see Link sparring with the Floow, sparks flying every time his machete clashed with the Floow's claws and arms. There were gashes across Link's arms and one on his face, one bloody cut on his right leg, but he fought back the Floow, which began to shriek in frustration.

"HIT THE BLOODY BUTTON!" Link turned for one moment to scream back at the quartet, before turning back to push the Floow into the group of dwindling Smashers, who all pounced on the struggling monster.

Kirby, tongue slightly sticking out, reached out to hit the final number on the pad, pressing his finger deftly down on the number. As he did, the keypad disappeared, before a button appeared, with the words emblazoned above it;

 _'KILL SUBSPACE'_

Mario stared at the button, before blurting,

"What are you doing? Press it Kirby, press -!"

Kirby slammed a hand on the button, before the display showing the button and password bar dissolved into blackness, and a loud thud echoed through the chamber, as if machinery was powering down. As if time stopped, all the Floows froze, their red eyes slowly fading to a powerless grey. There was a long moment of silence, before all the Floows simultaneously collapsed, either falling off the walkway and the walls, or collapsing on the walkway, almost crushing some Smashers. The Floows crumpled into what looked like worthless piles of metal, unmoving and weak.

Mario heard a heavy thud behind him, the door moving slightly before sliding open behind him, making Mario almost fall backward into the opening. He turned, feeling some unknown breeze come from the opening. Zelda sat up with Mario, her hands gripping his shoulders, her hair moving slightly in the breeze.

"Did we do it?" she murmured, exhaling shakily at the reassuring silence that echoed through the chamber. "Please tell me we did it," she whispered, as the rest of the Smashers, some limping, some merely scratched up, regrouped where Mario, Zelda, Peach, and Kirby were.

There were only twelve Smashers left, the large group whittled down to only the few that survived. Mario could barely process that that was the case - people, _teenagers_ , had died.

"Meta's dead. So is Wolf." Sonic said after a long silence, his voice quiet. His face was grimy, the dim light outlining the door weakly illuminating his face.

"Lucas. He got yanked off." Captain announced, and many of the Smashers exhaled. Lucas was too young. _All_ the Smashers who died were too young.

Mario stood up, Zelda following him, still gripping his arm. Mario looked into the dark tunnel ahead. Was this the path to freedom that the Smashers had been dreaming of for years? Was this the big finale everyone was waiting for?

"Is anyone hurt?" Luigi said, and Mario raised his hand as Luigi pushed through the small group.

"Zelda got hit," Mario commented, and Zelda shook her head dismissively.

"I'm fine, Luigi, I don't need it. Some people might need it more -"

"Let me at least put bandages on," Luigi pressed as he set his large medical pack on the ground, pulling out white bandages and a small pair of scissors. Link stood to the side of the group, leaning heavily on his left leg.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked quietly, and the Smashers nodded as Zelda hissed quietly. Luigi was wrapping the bandages around her torso, below her chest, before deftly tying them and snipping away the excess.

"We all have our limbs, so I think we'll survive," Sonic said, putting his hands on his hips. Some Smashers laughed at that, but the laughter quickly died, still weighed down by the somber atmosphere. For a moment, the only sound was Luigi putting away his medical supplies in his pack, the clinking of the scissors being put back in their respective pocket.

Link walked up next to Mario and Zelda, patting Mario on the shoulder, then grasping Zelda's hand.

"Is this it?" Kirby's voice squeaked out next to Mario, his eyes wide. Peach looked at Mario, and he looked back.

Her eyes were shining with something like apprehension, almost fear. _This doesn't look like the end,_ her eyes said. For some reason, Mario agreed with her, no matter how much he didn't want to believe it.

"I pray it is," Link said, as the battered, exhausted Smashers gathered in their small group to look down the tunnel, a cool breeze emitting from the blackness.

Subspace was long behind them.

* * *

 **I'm sorry if your favorite was killed off, and I hope you keep reading the rest of this fanfic and its successors even if your favorite died... In the end I didn't want to kill off anybody, but to stay true to the actual Maze Runner series, character have to get killed off :/ This was again a pretty long chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it! This is likely the second-to-last chapter, like I said at the beginning of this part. I'm hoping to update in a week or so (maybe less), so stay tuned! ~ALBS**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Hellooooooooooooo Subspace Runner readers! ALBS here, and first off, I am so so so so sorry how ridiculously long this update took. I posted an update on my LoZ fanfic but never got around to one here... long story short, school is absolutely ridiculous and gives me writer's block 24/7 :/ I've never been so happy to update this fanfic. And the last chapter, mind you!**

 **Anyway, buckle up for a long-ass chapter. This is definitely a fast roller-coaster of emotions that hopefully all of you will go through. I cannot thank everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, favorited this fanfic enough. You guys are amazing and inspire me to keep writing, knowing that people really enjoy what I come up with :) thank you so much. Reviewers, especially Steel Fairy, your insights are amazing. Keep it up guys, you don't know how much I appreciate you guys.**

 _ **YES**_ **, there will be a sequel to this fanfic, just like the actual Maze Runner series. I'll definitely need to refresh the plot of the actual MR book before I start writing, so it may be a while...just let this chapter soak for that time being ;)**

 **I hope you all enjoy this final chapter. Let me know of any mistakes that you notice; I wrote this in a fury of inspiration.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own sh*t & this is rated T**

* * *

As the Smashers walked farther and farther down the black tunnel, any glow that came from the red outline of the door had disappeared, leaving the group in a pressing darkness, the only sounds their footsteps and breathing.

Mario felt the blackness push in on his eyes, a slight feeling of panic beginning to bubble in his chest from the weird sensation of walking while seeing nothing. He could hear Sonic's breathing to his left, Link's to his right. It felt as if they'd been walking for hours, where in fact, it had likely only been minutes.

"When will this end?" Sonic whispered in an exasperated fashion, before Link responded.

"When we stop walking," Link murmured, albeit irritably. Mario didn't say anything, only squinting, as if he had night vision and could see what was in front of him. He held out his hands slightly, so in case he _did_ run into something, he wouldn't go in face-first.

"I'm gonna walk slightly ahead," Sonic said, before murmurings of 'Be careful' rippled through the Smashers. Everyone was jumpy. They didn't know if Subspace would be revived after being 'killed', if the door shut behind them. They knew they were in a tube-like hallway, as there were rounded walls to the left and right of the group. A ceiling was likely there, but the tallest Smashers, Ganondorf and Captain, didn't feel anything when they reached upwards, even on their tip-toes. The floor was slightly damp, decided by Kirby, who'd felt the ground. He said it was like concrete and gravel, slightly wet to the touch. Zelda suggested that they may be underground.

They likely were, Mario thought, as Sonic's footsteps echoed ahead of him, the steps sounding like he was slightly jogging. Why they would be underground was beyond him...

There was a sudden, metallic bang from up ahead, followed by an exclamation of pain and shock from Sonic.

"OW!"

All of the Smashers jumped, before Link called, his voice echoing in the tunnel,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Sonic's voice sounded back. "I think... I think this is some sort of door!"

At the word 'door', the Smashers began to murmur excitedly, and Mario felt his heart rose like a balloon in his chest. They wouldn't be walking down a corridor forever till they died! Maybe they were finally reaching the end...

The group shuffled their way to Sonic, who was banging on the door, the noises echoing through the tunnel.

"It's moving, but I need help!" Sonic said, and Mario felt the hulking figures of Captain and Ganondorf move by him, hands held out in front of them as they reached where Sonic was, slightly ahead of Mario. Mario heard the metal door groan as grunts of effort came from the three boys pushing on the door.

This process went on for a couple minutes, various curses and mutters of 'It's almost open,' coming from the boys until Ganondorf roared in frustration.

"STUPID DOOR!" he exclaimed, before he backed up slightly into Mario, before running at the door, kicking it.

The door suddenly flew open, swinging violently on its hinges as it slammed into the wall the door was set in. Blinding, harsh, unnatural lights streamed into the tunnel, making Mario squint his eyes tight, wincing against the light. He heard Smashers from next to him exclaim quietly in shock and pain at the bright lights.

Once Mario's eyes adjusted, he realized the door led out into a long, light-lit hallway. There was a metal door at the end of the hall, with a slight stream of bluish light emerging from behind the slightly opened door. The blue light was flickering.

There seemed to be a silent agreement through the group as they all looked among each other, and Mario cautiously took a step forward down the hall, before taking another. And another.

The quiet procession, broken with the occasional shifting of equipment and ready weapons, along with brief whispers, made their way down the concrete-layered hall. The door at the end of the way appeared metallic in nature, gleaming in the light of the harsh and unnatural lights hanging above their heads. Mario could feel his stomach clenching and relaxing with nerves, heart ready to burst from his chest.

As Mario reached the door, his stomach tightened even more when he saw that the door itself was slightly off of one of its hinges, like it had been forced open. With a shaking hand, he gently pushed the door open, and it swung inward with a long, metallic groan. Mario winced as sparks suddenly flashed in the entry of the doorway, flitting to the ground right in front of him.

There were various gasps of awe and curses as the Smashers filtered into the shockingly large room on the other side of the door, Mario's eyes adjusting to the flickering blue lights and occasional sparking from the light fixtures. To him, the room looked like it could've been some sort of control room - various monitors up along the walls of the room, one large, glass one hanging down into the middle of the room, surrounded by a control console.

His heart bounced into his throat as he saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind an overturned chair, file folders and a mug on the floor as well.

"There're bodies," Sonic whispered as the Smashers began to spread out across the floor, exploring the various consoles and collapsed monitors, skirting around the various bodies splayed out on the floor. Not many reactions were evident on the Smashers' faces at the bodies - it was as if they were numb, too used to the idea of the dead.

As Sonic went to the right of the room, Mario walked forward, toward the largest screen in the middle of the room, surrounded by a large console. Even though all of the other consoles were dead, and monitors either with static or shattered, the middle of the room was untouched. There was even a glowing, deep blue button on the console.

Mario stepped up to the console, the blue glow of the button illuminating his grimy shirt and bloodied hands. Curiosity got the best of him as he moved his hand down towards the button, and as his fingers skimmed the smooth surface of the console, the button dissipated. With the button's leave, the screen in front of Mario was revived, a static image becoming clear, one of an old man.

This man was white-haired and bearded, blue eyes bright and alert. His hair matched his attire of what looked like a lab coat and a near button-down. Behind the man was the room Mario and the other Smashers were standing in, but revived, workers going about their jobs, all of the monitors on or with static. The materialized image attracted the attention of the Smashers, who gathered around Mario as the man on screen began to speak.

 _"Hello,"_ the man began with a worn, rumbling voice, _"my name is Artemis Hand. I am the director of TABUU, the organization tasked with saving this good world we stand on. I am sure you are all confused, but first, I would like to congratulate you all on completing the first stage of your Trials, the Subspace."_

At this, Mario looked in confusion toward Sonic, who didn't look back. The Runner's brow was furrowed, staring intently at the screen with an expression of incredulity.

 _"You are all likely confused. Angry. Wanting answers. But that takes a back seat when you all must realize that you are all part of something bigger. Something that will save humankind. Something that will make you all heroes._

 _"Many years ago,"_ the video of Artemis flickered away to stills of various scenes - the sun, burning landscapes, charred corpses, devastated buildings. _"our world was ravaged by the one thing that life itself depended on - our sun._

 _"It destroyed our crops, our cities, our populations. The fallout was unimaginable, and those lucky to survive were cursed to live in a hellscape, scorched by fire and brimstone and the world around them collapsed. Climate went awry, animals died off and us humans were left with nothing but loss and pain to live by."_

Mario watched the horrific scenes play out on the monitor - flaming buildings, scenes of what looked like a warzone. Piles upon piles of bodies.

 _"The universe had more played out for us - a wicked, destructive pandemic. The Troph."_

Nearly all the Smashers cringed at the next scene. A man was strapped to what looked like gurney - or that is, what Mario at least thought was a man. The individual's veins were protruding black and gold against pale skin, blood bubbling from cracked and bloody lips. Eyes bulging out from their sockets, bloodshot as the man spasmed against his restraints. There were various hands in the frame holding him down, before the scene disappeared and Artemis took its place.

 _"It spread through our paper-thin population like wildfire, driving people to places beyond redemption. Insanity and a lust for blood. But among this carnage, word spread of individuals, children, who could resist the Troph. People who would hold the key to ridding the world of Troph once and for all. Special people. Our saviors. Gifted individuals that had the key to the survival of humanity locked within them._

 _"TABUU took the task of finding a Cure. It wouldn't be easy, but forcing these...subjects, through various challenges and stimuli, a Cure would emerge from within."_

Artemis paused at this moment, looking behind him. The scientists behind him, Mario now noticed, seemed to be panicking, running around as sparks flew on the right side of the screen.

A chill ran though Mario as Artemis Hand turned back to face the screen, just as two scientists collapsed as a squadron of armed individuals lurked onto the right side of the screen.

 _"You all must forgive me, for your journey is far from over. The Trials must continue, and they will grow harder. You all must stay strong for humanity to continue. And remember._

 _"TABUU is good."_

Mario only jumped as Artemis Hand brought a handgun to his head, static on the monitor following the bang of the gun.

Silence was what followed, and Mario backed away from the monitor. He tried not to focus on the glass-walled office behind the monitor, where he saw an outstretched arm sticking out from behind the desk, a handgun resting in the palm.

"This can't have happened too long ago." Mario whispered, more to himself than anyone else. Link caught his words, glancing in his direction, jaw tightening.

"I'm more worried about what he said," the older boy said, gazing at the static-covered monitor. "it's not over? This is only the beginning?"

Only more silence met his rhetorical question as the Smashers shifted in an unsettled manner, before Kirby quietly piped up.

"Where do we go from here? I'm scared." There was a slight waver in the boy's voice, as Mario looked at him.

"Don't worry Kirby. We're gonna be okay, we just need a way out of here. I bet there's a door somewhere."

As Mario spoke, the Smashers began to move away from the monitor, spreading out onto the main floor as a large group. Kirby smiled at Mario. "You're sure?"

"Almost positive. As long as we get out of this creepy place, we'll all feel so much better. Agree?"

Kirby nodded, just as a loud bang reverberated through the room, in the direction of the metal door that the group had come from. Mario jumped, whirling around along with the other Smashers.

He could hardly believe who was standing there, just a few yards away.

* * *

Bowser's nose was running, his eyes bloodshot and teary. He was sniffling, face grimy and streaked with blood, clothing tattered and filthy. In both hands, he was holding a handgun, the weapon trembling violently as he pointed it at the Smashers.

Mario's blood ran cold as he stared at the clearly unstable boy. How had he survived getting dragged away by a Floow? How did he end up here? And _why_ did he have a _gun,_ of all things?

"B-Bowser?" Link stammered, stepping forward next to Mario. All of the other Smashers began to murmur uneasily, eyes wary as they looked at Bowser.

"S-s-stop what y-your doing," Bowser stammered shakily, gun violently shaking in his hands, "th-they're gonna get y-you anyw-way."

Mario glanced at Sonic, who shook his head slightly. After watching that video left by Artemis Hand, or whoever he was, Mario was seriously doubting his existence as a whole and wanted to find out more. If leaving the Subspace, as it was called, was the only way out, so be it. Bowser could go wallow in his uncertainty.

He _was_ aiming a gun at them, however.

"We don't know what you're talking about Bowser," Sonic said coldly, "but we're getting out of here. We've been stuck here long enough."

Bowser's eyes widened, and he shook his head, appearing to be hyperventilating. "N-no, they-" he seemed to be grasping for words, before they finally stumbled by his lips, " _control_ you. Th-they're in m-my head, a-" Bowser hiccuped, seeming to fight back tears of pain, "and I c-can't get the-m out!"

The boy suddenly roared in anger, the gun trembling even more. All the Smashers stepped backwards in fear. Mario's eyes were glued on the gun as Link raised a steady hand.

"Bowser, you're okay now. Other people can't be in your -"

"Th-they're te-telling m-me to do th-things, and I'm -" Bowser swallowed, and the gun stilled in his hands almost automatically. Mario felt a rising sense of foreboding in his chest as Bowser's eyes suddenly glazed over with something like determination, but Mario couldn't be sure.

The next thing that happened, happened in slow motion.

Bowser had aimed the gun right at Mario's chest, and there was a bang as the gun went off. Mario felt hands shove him aside, and he toppled into Link, before turning to see where the shot had gone, cries of panic and alarm echoing through the Smashers.

Kirby was standing where Mario was, looking down at his stomach, which he was pressing with his hands. He looked at his hands, which were red with blood.

The young boy's legs gave out under him, and Mario fell to his knees next to Kirby, ears ringing.

This couldn't have just happened.

But it had.

Mario turned to look at Bowser, anger rising in his chest as he stared at the shell-shocked boy, whose mouth was slightly open in surprise. There was a sudden noise behind Mario, and a makeshift spear buried itself into Bowser's chest, courtesy of Samus. The large boy collapsed as Mario turned to look down at Kirby.

Sound and the world itself came rushing back to Mario as Kirby's eyes were wide, filled with fear as Mario lifted the boy slightly, looking down with trembling hands at the blood saturating the younger boy's shirt.

"Kirby... _Kirby, no..."_ Mario frantically murmured as the boy coughed, blood burbling on his lips. "Kirby, we're so close, Kirby -!"

"M-Mario," Kirby stammered, grabbing at Mario's shirt, chubby hands trembling, "f-find -"

"Kirby, we're going to get you out of here, stop talking -" Mario said, his voice shaking as he pressed a hand into Kirby's wound. Blood continued to bubble out of the wound as every other Smasher was virtually silent. Mario wanted to scream at Luigi, or anyone to help, but in the back of his mind, he knew.

Kirby was going to die.

The dying boy took a rasping, bubbling breath before he quietly spoke again. His voice was fading, cracking.

"F-find my...m-y fa-fami-ly, p-please..." Mario struggled to keep the tears out of his eyes as he nodded frantically, pulling Kirby closer to him. He closed his eyes tight as he nodded.

"Yes. Kirby, I will, I promise -"

Mario opened his eyes again, looking at Kirby's face before he faltered.

The boy's face was slack, blood staining his mouth and chin as his eyes looked blankly up at the dark ceiling. His body in Mario's arms was limp, unmoving. Ominously heavy.

Mario took a shuddering, shocked breath as he lightly shook Kirby. This wasn't happening. He had been _so close,_ he couldn't have just _died -_

Dying. Died. Dead. All words Mario never thought he'd put with Kirby's name. Because Kirby was _supposed_ to be alive for outside Subspace.

"Kirby? No, no no no, Kirby! KIRBY!" Mario shook the dead boy in his arms roughly, his eyesight growing blurry with tears. "WE MADE IT! _KIRBY_!"

Mario let go of the dead boy, Kirby's body falling heavily to the ground before Mario crouched over him, grabbing Kirby's bloody shirt in his hands.

All the other Smashers were in states of shock and grief as they stood by, staring wide-eyed at Kirby's form. There was nothing believable about this.

Mario's final repetition of Kirby's name collapsed into a heaving sob, voice scraping across his vocal cords as he buried his head into Kirby's chest, an unbelievable hole opening up in his chest, threatening to consume him.

As he sobbed, he felt a gentle hand on his back, and he slightly opened his eyes. Peach was reaching over to Kirby's head, pressing the boy's eyes closed, face unreadable through Mario's teary, blurry vision.

She stood back up again, backing away as everyone sank into a shocked, heartbroken silence. This had been one death too many.

All of the deaths had been one too many.

Mario buried his head into Kirby's still chest, body heaving with each painful sob. He could barely feel Sonic's tight grip on his shoulder, the runner's voice fuzzy through ringing ears.

Sonic's abrupt yank on his shoulder forced Mario's hands to leave Kirby, snapping the grieving boy back into reality. Just as Mario flashed back to the present, to what was actually going on around them, the nondescript wall behind them splitting apart at the middle, the loud groan of metal and stone emanating through the destroyed control room.

In a flash of explosive light and rubble being scattered across the room, people in heavy-duty, blacked-out armor stormed the room, harsh lights illuminating the area. Through Mario's teary, blurry vision, he saw these people beckoning to the Smashers, yelling at them to follow them. They were going to help them. They were going to take them to somewhere safe.

Somewhere safe.

But what about Kirby?

Mario numbly watched Sonic being led to the glaring lights of - outside? Outside - before turning around, clutching at Kirby's body. He felt gentle, but strong pairs of hands grabbing his arms and shoulders, pulling him away from the dead boy.

Mario heard himself scream as his hands left Kirby's shirt, kicking out as the hands dragged him backwards, towards the bright lights.

There was a sudden blast of fresh air that Mario inhaled, and he began to cough violently as he was forced up onto his feet. There was sand underneath his feet, bright lights ahead of him, a dark night sky above.

It was so much to take in, the fact that this was the real outdoors, and that this was real fresh air. But Mario's mind could only focus on how Kirby had collapsed to the floor, hanging onto life by a thread.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The yelling of the men holding him up was filling his ears as he was ushered to the source of the lights - Mario kept hearing the word 'chopper' - before he felt hands grab his arms, pulling him up onto a metal platform, the main hold of a helicopter.

"Mario! Mario, listen to me! _Mario_!" Link's voice met his ringing ears, along with the mechanical whirring of helicopter blades. Link's face was focusing in Mario's eyes, the older boy's face streaked with tears, hair wild from the wind of the helicopter blades. All of the other Smashers were on the aircraft, staring at Mario, eyes wide and scared.

Mario could only focus on the older boy's face as he clutched at Link's arms, before collapsing into tears, screaming muffled by the whine of the helicopter lifting off.

As the aircraft climbed higher and higher into the sky, the large, looming complex of Subspace - high-ceiling, miles wide - disappeared into the dark night below.

The real Trials had just begun.

* * *

Back in the now abandoned, half-demolished control room, far below the Smashers and wrecked beyond compare, a group of people stood around a table, fake bloodstains on their jackets, wiping off rubble and dust from the poor ceilings. All were holding file folders, clipboards. Waiting patiently.

An old man stepped to the front of the table, wiping off a red residue from his head with a white handkerchief, before shoving it into his jacket pocket.

"I think the first Trial went very well, don't you?"

Silence met his remark.

"...The Control's death was unexpected, of course, but everything went to plan. Mario is showing some potential. What do you all think?"

Quiet murmurs met the man's words, and he smiled wryly.

"This group is special, we must watch them very closely from now on. And The Traitor...they're turning out well. I'm not sure how their emotional attachments will affect these tests but...hopefully not too much."

The man sat down in his chair, shifting slightly. He clasped his hands on the table, looking thoughtful.

"Their hardest challenge starts now. The Second Trial. I hope they all make it."

Artemis Hand smiled slightly.

"TABUU is good, everyone."

A murmur of acknowledgement met his words.

* * *

 **fin.**


End file.
